The Republic of Korea’s sovereign political history dates only to 1945, but its cultural and intellectual traditions span thousands of years.

Taehak, a Confucian educational institute, was founded in 372 CE, and by 992 CE, the Gukjagam (a national higher education institution) and local private schools called hyanggyo had been founded within the unified three kingdoms then known as Goryeo.1

Now, this long history of cultivating human intellect is taking a 21st-century turn. The Korean government, in partnership with leading research institutes, is focusing domestic scientific endeavors on two major global transformations: the rise of artificial intelligence and the ongoing climate crisis.

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Ceramics research

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Cite this article

R. Hecht, “Korea’s ambitious intelligence,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull. 2025, 104(8): 26–33.

About the Author(s)

Randy B. Hecht is founder and owner of Aphra Communications (Brooklyn, N.Y.). She works extensively with clients in Europe, Asia, and the Americas on materials science content produced for global audiences. She has written The American Ceramic Society’s annual report on international ceramics and glass markets since 2009. Contact Hecht at rbhecht@aphra.com.

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Article References
Article References

1“Korea information: The beginnings of the country’s history,” Korean Cultural Center NY.

2“MSIT launches project to build Korea-centric evaluation datasets for AI foundation models,” Ministry of Science and ICT. Published 25 July 2025.

3“‘Proprietary AI foundation model’ project enters full‑scale launch,” Ministry of Science and ICT. Published 27 June 2025.

4“KAIST ESG report 2024,” KAIST. Published August 2024.

5“‘InnoCORE Research Group’ launched to lead AI convergence innovation,” KAIST. Published 19 June 2025.

6“KIMS develops AI-driven fully automated research system for the entire materials research lifecycle,” KIMS. Published 30 June 2025.

7“G20 Per Capita Coal Power Emissions 2023,” Ember. Published 5 Sept. 2025.

8“Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Coping with Climate Crisis,” Korea Legislation Research Institute. Published 24 Sept. 2021.

9M. Kim, “South Korea’s 11th power plan makes partial progress towards decarbonization,” Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Published 31 March 2025.

10“Developments in Korean energy laws,” Shin & Kim. Published 28 Feb. 2025.

11“Private sector-led carbon neutrality innovation: Launch of the ‘Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) Initiative,’” Ministry of Science and ICT. Published 21 April 2025.

12“KAIST develops glare-free, heat-blocking ‘smart window’ applicable to buildings and vehicles,” KAIST. Published 20 June 2025.

13“KIMS and Korea Southern Power signed MOU for BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) technology development,” KIMS. Published 29 May 2025.

14“Developing zero-waste, sustainable smart polymer materials,” KIST. Published 6 March 2026.

15Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering & Technology

16“Announcement of the Implementation of the Aerospace Ceramic Fiber Convergence Materials Commercialization Support Project,” Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering & Technology. Published 5 March 2025.

*All references verified as of Aug. 5, 2025.

Ceramic industry news and updates from the American Ceramic Society.

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