Greetings!

Korea's five-millennia-long history has contributed greatly to its illustrious cultural heritage and exotic charm. With an illiteracy rate close to zero, the education of children is often the highest priority for Korean families. This high regard for education and scholarship partly explains the steady influx of gifted students into the mathematics profession.

While mathematics in Korea in the modern sense has a relatively short history, Korea has made significant progress in quality and quantity of research in mathematics, more than doubling its research publications in less than 10 years up to 2007.

The undergraduate and graduate program at the POSTECH Math Department emphasizes the importance of rigorous mathematical reasoning and academically sound curriculum, and growingly reflects the role of mathematics in various aspects of modern society. The Mathematics Department at POSTECH is currently making intensive efforts to improve its level of research and teaching so that it becomes comparable to that of the world's top 20 universities within the next 10 to 15 years.

Soon after POSTECH was founded in 1986 aiming to become a world level research institution, some prominent mathematicians from abroad like Professors Kyung-Whan Kwun and Chung Nim Lee joined its Mathematics Department, and helped to make it one of the top research departments in the country. I wish to thank these early pioneers of POSTECH Math for their energy and enthusiasm.

Sincerely, Hyungju Park