IGC Organizing Committee Chairman Jeong Dae-gyo Sets Record for Most Participants Ever… Will Lead the Advancement of Korean Geology

Jeong Dae-kyo, the chairman of the organizing committee for the 37th International Congress of Geosciences (IGC 2024), said on the 30th, “The successful conclusion of the IGC 2024 held in Busan has provided an opportunity for significant advancement in geosciences in our country.”

Chairman Jeong met with the Aju Business Daily at BEXCO in Busan, where the IGC 2024 is being held, and said, “The IGC Busan General Assembly, which we prepared for for 10 years, has come to a successful conclusion with the full support and sponsorship of geologists and the city and citizens of Busan.” The Busan General Assembly, which opened on the 25th, will hold a closing ceremony on the same day and officially close on the following day, the 31st.

The IGC is an international event in the field of geology known as the ‘Olympic Games of Geology’. Since the first general meeting was held in Paris, France in 1878, it has been held every four years, rotating across continents. The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources and the Geological Society of Korea submitted a letter of intent to host the event in 2015. As a result, Busan succeeded in hosting the 37th General Assembly at the IGC held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2016, beating out several competing countries.

The opening ceremony of the World Congress of Geosciences was held at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan on the afternoon of the 26th. [사진=연합뉴스]

The Busan General Assembly is the first IGC to be held in Korea and the first in East Asia in 28 years since China in 1996. This event, held as a face-to-face event for the first time in 8 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was attended by 6,000 people from 85 countries around the world.

Chairman Jeong said, “There were quite a few negative factors, such as the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) restricting Russian scholars’ participation in international conferences after the Russo-Ukrainian War and Japan’s decision not to participate, but many geologists from around the world participated,” adding, “It was recorded as having the largest number of participants among international conferences held in Korea.”

There was also a large attendance from China. Several large promotional booths were operated to promote China’s geological science competitiveness. Chairman Jeong said, “Unlike Chinese scholars who have been largely absent from international conferences held in the U.S. due to the U.S.-China conflict, more than 1,000 people came to the Busan general meeting.”

The Chinese Geological Delegation’s promotional booth set up in the promotion hall of the 37th World Congress of Geology (IGC 2024). Over 1,000 Chinese geoscientists participated in the IGC 2024, which was held at BEXCO in Busan for a week starting on the 25th of this month. [사진=조현미 기자 hmcho@ajunews.com]

This general meeting also achieved the result of adopting the ‘Busan Declaration’. The Busan Declaration emphasized the role of geoscientists in response to rapid changes in the global environment and stated that geoscientists around the world should cooperate to overcome the crisis. In particular, it included the content of establishing a ‘Global Future Earth Science Research Center’ in Busan to realize this plan.

Chairman Jeong said, “We will work with Busan City to establish a Global Future Earth Science Research Center and take related steps at IUGS,” adding, “Once established, we will hold an international academic conference in Busan every year to contribute to revitalizing the local economy.”

Reporter Information Busan = Jo Hyeon-mi hmcho@ajunews.com

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