The candidates for the next president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have been narrowed down to three: Professor Kim Jeong-ho from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, current President Lee Kwang-hyung, and former President Lee Yong-hoon of the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.
According to KAIST on the 20th, the KAIST Presidential Candidate Selection Committee recommended these three candidates to the board of directors after holding a review committee the previous day.
Professor Kim Jeong-ho has served as the chief researcher at Samsung Electronics, the head of KAIST's research office, and the director of the KAIST-Samsung Electronics Industry-Academic Cooperation Center. President Lee Kwang-hyung started as an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at KAIST and has held positions including head of the International Cooperation Office, head of the Academic Affairs Office, and vice president for academic affairs, before being appointed as the 17th president in 2021. Former President Lee Yong-hoon has served as vice president of the KAIST International Cooperation Center and vice president for academic affairs, and is currently a distinguished professor at Busan University of Foreign Studies.
If the candidate who receives a majority of the attending board members at the KAIST board of directors is recommended as a presidential candidate to the Minister of Science and ICT, the final approval as president will be obtained with the consent of the Minister of Education.
The current president's term expired at the end of last month.