South Korea – day one

By Matin Durrani

South Korea: physics rising star.

Hello from South Korea, where I’m on a week-long tour with Physics World news editor Michael Banks. We’re here to visit a series of top physics institutes and research organizations in a trip that’s taken several months of careful planning to arrange.

There are three main reasons for coming here. The first is to gather material for a Physics World special report on physics in South Korea, which will be published in September. This report will follow on from our previous special reports on India, Japan and China.

The second reason is to raise the profile of Physics World and, by extension, the Institute of Physics and its publishing arm IOP Publishing. The third reason is to form contacts with A-list Korean physicists so that we can keep on top of what’s happening in this rising star of Asian science. In other words, creating a special report ought to give our coverage of South Korea a much-needed and long-lasting boost.

Our first stop is the “science city” of Daejeon in the centre of the country, where we arrived during the busy rush hour. After an interesting meal in downtown Daejeon, at which we cooked our own noodles and accompaniments in a water-filled wok heated on a gas burner lodged in the centre of our dining table, we’re ready to kick things off tomorrow. I’ve set myself the task of writing a blog a day, so come back tomorrow to find out how Michael and I are getting on.