Your Complete Convention City

Seoul to Host 2015 IUPAC Congress, the "Olympics of Chemistry"

On August 5th, news of another major accomplishment for Seoul's convention and conference industry came via Glasgow, United Kingdom as Seoul was chosen as the host for the 2015 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Congress Assembly and Conference.

A spokesperson for the Korean Chemical Society, which worked to bring the event to Seoul, declared, "The General Assembly will highlight our position in the IUPAC and the global chemical fraternity that first began with Korea's participation in the 22nd IUPAC, held in London in 1963."

Established in 1919, IUPAC is a global chemical sciences organization with 53 national member organizations and 12 associate member organizations including eight divisions and nine committees. In addition, honorary Professor Jin Jung-il of Korea University has been serving as the president of the Executive Committee since January 2008. The IUPAC Congress is held every two years during the first week of August, and this year's event was held from July 31st to August 7th in the U.K. The 2011 event will be held in Puerto Rico, followed by Turkey in 2013, and South Korea in 2015.

The IUPAC Congress represents the highest-level global conference for pure and applied chemical sciences, with over 3,000 leading figures in the field presenting and discussing major research projects and programs over a one week period. The event will also involve discussions on international regulations and standards, creating in a sense the Olympics of chemistry.

The Korean Chemical Society, under President Yoon Min-jung, began working to host the 2015 IUPAC Congress last September, beginning with the invitation of five members of the Executive Committee to a presentation, followed by the submission of a proposal in January.

The Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) worked closely with the Korean Chemical Society to provide a wide range of support services for this important initiative, including the full scheduling and arrangement of the IUPAC Secretary-General John W. Jost and Mrs. Jost during their visit to Korea last May, as well as a welcoming banquet and inspection tour of the Coex venue.

A chance to meet world-renowned chemists in Korea Nobel laureate and other major figures in chemistry to visit Korea

Seok Won-gyeong (Prof. of Chemistry, Dongguk Univ : IUPAC 2015 Committee)

In an age where economic prosperity is often dependent on science and technology, the 2015 IUPAC Congress in Korea will provide an opportunity to boost our chemical sciences and related fields to the next level, and enable us to advance both our academic as well as industrial capabilities.

Developed nations such as the United States, Japan and European nations devote considerable investment to the sciences. In order to successfully host the IUPAC Congress in 2015, we will be required to make careful preparations for the next six years. However, there is no doubt that the visit of some of the world's greatest scientists, including Nobel-prize winners, to Korea will stimulate current efforts in the field as well as boost interest in, and respect for, chemistry and the pure sciences among our young people.

In addition, the event will enable us to show the world the considerable advances in chemistry that we have made as a nation, and create opportunities for Korea to provide aid to developing nations, while forming valuable partnerships for mutual growth and future development.