The Korean delegation swept all medals in both the individual and team institutional sectors at the World Earth Science Congress.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity (KOSAC) noted on the 19th that the Korean delegation won medals in all institutional sectors at the 18th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO).
This competition is an international friendly event that started in 2007, with talented individuals under 20 in the field of earth science from around the world participating. This year, it was held in Jining, China, from the 7th to the 17th, with 122 participants from 28 countries.
The Korean delegation won silver medals in the individual written exam sector with students Kim Min-seo (2nd year, Gyeongnam Science High School), Ahn Ji-hoo (3rd year, Gwangju Science High School), and Song Min-kyu (2nd year, Hyeonam High School), and a bronze medal with student Choi Jung-won (2nd year, Daejeon Dongshin Science High School). The individual written exams consisted of a theoretical exam on earth system theory (180 minutes) covering geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, and a field geological survey (150 minutes).
Unlike other science Olympiads, this competition is characterized by the 'multinational team sector' where students of various nationalities form teams to compete. The team sector is divided into outdoor exploration tasks (ITFI) and earth system research tasks (ESP).
In the outdoor exploration tasks, student Choi Jung-won won a gold medal, while students Kim Min-seo and Ahn Ji-hoo won bronze medals. In the earth system research tasks, student Ahn Ji-hoo earned a gold medal, student Song Min-kyu received a silver medal, and student Kim Min-seo won a bronze medal.
Park Young-shin, chair of the Korean Earth Science Olympiad Committee, said, "It is crucial to foster talent in the earth science field to address the climate crisis," and added, "I hope this experience serves as a stepping stone for students to grow into global talents in the earth science field."