The Arctic is not such a Distant Place

This year's Arctic summit is about to start end of next week. Yoojung Heo and Somang Chung will be travelling all the way from Seoul to Fairbanks, Alaska to help explain about South Korea's engagement in the future of Arctic research

By Kirstin Werner

It is a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon here in Songdo. Work life in many other places of the world is slowing down at this time of the week but here at the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) people still seem to be busy just a few hours before the weekend starts. Somang Chung and Yoojung Heo are trying to squeeze out a cup of coffee for us from the stylish coffee machine at KOPRI’s library. ‘Have you seen the cute little candy machine over here?’, Somang giggles.

In about a week Yoojung and Somang will be travelling to the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW2016), this year held in Fairbanks, Alaska. They will accompany Yoo Kyung Lee who currently is the Executive Officer of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). As a non-governmental international organisation IASC seeks for enhanced dialogue between different countries and organizations engaged with Arctic research. In 1999, the committee launched the first Arctic Science Summit Week which meanwhile evolved to one of the most important annual gatherings connecting Arctic scientists with policy makers.

Yoojung Heo

International parties but also local and indigenous groups interested in the future of the Arctic will assemble from March 12 to 18 on the University of Alaska Fairbanks' campus. Amongst them is KOPRI. Yoojung and Somang will be running a booth from their institute during the meeting. ‘All other exhibition stands will be from Arctic countries. So we are actually the only non-Arctic booth’, Yoojung just realizes.  

South Korea is one of the few non-Arctic countries that significantly strengthened their efforts in polar research during the past years. ‘We are aware of the changes going on in the Arctic which potentially also affect the Korean peninsula and thus our lives here in South Korea’, Yoojung tells. ‘Yes, I actually remember Yoo Kyung Lee recently saying: the Arctic is not such a distant place’, Somang, nodding, adds.  

‘I think the reason why South Korea puts its efforts into polar science is that they want to be taken seriously’, Somang explains. ‘In terms of a modern independent nation, South Korea is still very youthful. On a governmental level there must be some kind of awareness on the reality of a changing climate. Instead of just pursuing profit and wealth South Korea wants to be viewed as a mature nation that considers our collective responsibility. At least this would be my hope.’

Somang Chung

Just in time before this year’s Arctic summit IASC has published its Roadmap for the Future of Arctic research. The roadmap results from discussions initiated during the Third International Conference on Arctic Research Planning  (ICARP III) last year in Toyama, Japan. It concludes on future priorities in Arctic sciences that put forward interdisciplinary studies of the rapid changes in the Arctic, in particular its shrinking sea-ice cover. While the ICARP III report provides no new or surprising conclusions, an international agreement on future Arctic research priorities was urgently needed since ‘emerging economic and geopolitical interests in the Arctic have now established, with potentially significant local effects,’ as written in the report. 

Asian economies do have an interest also in the benefits a future Arctic with ice-free seaways during summer may provide. Shipping via the Northern Sea Route will shorten the travel from Europe to South Korea for about ten days (see Korea Times and Asia Times). But it also bears high risks for both the Arctic environment and shipping companies. In addition, the Arctic holds yet unexploited natural resources such as oil and gas but also fish stocks. In January this year, North Korea has signed the Svalbard Treaty which allows them to undertake both ecomonic and scientific activities on the Svalbard archipelagos rich in coal deposits.

 

Lonesome ice berg drifting in the Arctic Ocean

Arctic weather conditions were extraordinarily warm in the beginning of the year with a sea-ice extent lowest in the January satellite record since 1981. But a strong Arctic cold wave is now affecting the Fairbanks weather. ‘I wonder how my body actually reacts to the cold,’ Somang says. Having studied English language in Toronto, Canada, she is pleased to work here at KOPRI where her output has direct impacts. During ASSW, Somang will be involved in some of the IASC meetings where she supports Yoo Kyung Lee's Executive Officer's work for IASC. Both Yoojung and Somang spent many years in North America. Thanks to their excellent English language skills they can easily connect KOPRI with international Arctic networks. Together with her colleagues Yoojung has launched the Korea Arctic Research Consortium (KoARC) last year in November. Under the KoARC frame, research priorities will be coordinated nationally between different institutions and organizations interested in the Arctic. At the KOPRI booth, Yoojung hopes to get in contact with many different people to tell them about their KoARC activities.

It will be the first time for both travelling to a place so close to the Arctic circle. ‘I really wish to see the northern lights out there’, Yoojung says. ‘If not the northern lights, then at least a polar bear’, Somang smiles. ‘Well, I would love to talk to some local people from Fairbanks. And of course trying some local Alaskan food!’, she looks forward to. ‘Yes, I heard there are many Koreans living in Fairbanks’, Yoojung adds. ‘I am curious about their local Fairbanks way of preparing Korean food.’

Find Yoojung and Somang at the KOPRI booth at ASSW2016 in Fairbanks, Alaska.