[Alumni] Jineon Baek Solves a 60-Year-Old Mathematical Problem, Recognized as a Global Mathematical Breakthrough

 Dr. Jineon Baek, an alumnus of the Department of Mathematics at POSTECH, has attracted international attention by resolving the Moving Sofa Problem, a mathematical challenge that had remained unsolved for nearly 60 years.

 Dr. Baek’s work was selected as one of Scientific American’s “Top 10 Mathematical Breakthroughs of 2025”, and is widely regarded as a definitive solution to the long-standing problem.

 First proposed in 1966, the Moving Sofa Problem asks for the planar shape with the maximum possible area that can be maneuvered through an L-shaped corridor of unit width. Despite decades of extensive research, the problem had remained one of the most well-known open questions in geometry. Dr. Baek rigorously proved that a previously proposed shape is indeed optimal, providing the first complete and mathematically conclusive resolution of the problem.

 Notably, this breakthrough was achieved through pure theoretical analysis, without reliance on large-scale computer simulations, a factor that has been especially praised by the mathematical community. The corresponding paper has been submitted to one of the most prestigious journals in mathematics and is currently undergoing peer review.

 Dr. Baek is currently a Heo Junyi Fellow at the Heo Junyi Mathematical Challenges Research Institute at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), where he continues to work on problems in combinatorial geometry and optimization. This achievement stands as a compelling example of the global research excellence of POSTECH Mathematics alumni.