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The 60-Year History of the Korean Mathematical Society
Period of Establishment
The Korean Mathematical Society, during the time of its establishment when Korea was under the influence of rapid change, met with many difficulties. One year after Korea gained independence from Japanese rule, the predecessor of the Korean Mathematical Society, known as the Chosun Society of Mathematics and Physics, was established in October, 1946. Yoon-shik Choi was elected as the first president of the association, and mathematicians such as Kee-won Chang and Chung-ki Park were teaching mathematics at a college. At the time of foundation of the First Republic Korean Government in 1948, mathematics teachers at various colleges and schools and those majoring in math were the people who paved the way for Korea's mathematics, and they changed the society's name to the Korean Society of Mathematics and Physics. On March 11, 1952, two years after the outbreak of the Korean War, the Korean Society of Mathematics and Physics was split into two, thus bringing the Korean Mathematical Society into existence. Three years later, the Society launched its journal, ¡®Mathematical Education¡¯, in July. Period of Transition
Following the period of the Korean War, the mathematicians who had gone abroad to study received their degrees around 1960. Rimhak Ree, Dock Sang Rim, Kyung Whan Kwun, and Chung-Nim Lee were among those whose excellent papers were published in major American mathematical journals, while Kap-byung Yoon, Kyung-hwan Kwon, Bum-shik Chang, Kwang-chul Hah, Tae-il Seo, and Kee-sun Song were some of those who returned to the Peninsula and greatly influenced the field of mathematics in Korea. Following the death of the Society's President Yoon-shik Choi in 1960, the Vice President of the Society became the successor President. Due to disbandment of all academic associations through the 5-16 coup d'etat, the Korean Mathematical Society had its second inauguration on October 9, 1962. In 1964, the Society began publishing its journal under a new name, 'Math.'. Kyung-chan Park was elected as President in 1966, and in the following year the journal 'Math.' was divided into the 'Korean Mathematical Society Journal' and 'Korean Mathematical Society Bulletin' published twice a year. Period of Major Expansion
In the 1970s, Jung-su Kim and Eul-lyong Park became consecutive presidents of the Society and the Korean Mathematical Society was registered as a corporation in 1978. Branch societies started publishing their own journals in this period. In 1981, the Korean Mathematical Society joined the IMU and secured its international position for the "Republic of Korea". In 1986, the Society issued its first edition of a collection of papers. The first Korean Mathematics Olympiad was held in November, 1987, and the Korean Mathematics Olympiad representatives obtained excellent scores in their first participation in the Australian IMO, ranking 22nd out of 60 countries. From the late 1990s, these delegates made it to the top 10 rankings, coming 5th in 2005 and 4th in 2001. In 2000, the 41st IMO was held in Daejeon, Korea. When Jong-shik Kim and Moo-ha Ooh became presidents of the Society in the early 1990s, the Korean Mathematical Society laid the groundwork for globalization. At the time when Korea joined the IMU in 1981, Korea was in Group 1. After strenuous efforts by the Society, it was raised to Group 2 in 1993. Towards Globalization (1996-)
In the late 1990s, Chin-Ku Chu, Kun Soo Chang, and Sung Ki Kim succeeded to the presidential seat. In October of 1996, "The International Mathematics Convention Commemorating the 50-Year Anniversary of KMS" was held, with Rimhak Ree giving a special congratulatory lecture for this special occasion. The IMU designated the year 2000 as the "World Mathematical Year", and the Korean Mathematical Society followed suit by opening the 41st International Olympiad with the catch phrase "Beginning the new millennium with mathematics". Furthermore, the Society hosted various events to popularize mathematics and opened an international science convention, 'Mathematics in the New Millennium'. From 2001, Dong Myung Chung, Yong Seung Cho, and then Kyung Chan Min were elected as the Society's President. In January of 2003, the Korean Mathematical Society Journal was registered in the SCIE, bringing much happiness to all members and elevating Korea's mathematical status. In November 2005, every mathematician's dream came true as the National Mathematics and Science Institute was founded. In 2006, 13 agencies were selected by the second BK21, increasing the base for mathematical research and winning a consecutive 3rd place in the 47th IMO. Moreover, greeting its 60th anniversary, the Korean Mathematical Society expanded its global capacity by opening the 'Global KMS Day' academic convention and the "Asia Mathematics Forum". In 2006, Jeong Han Kim, Yong-Geun Oh, and Jun-Muk Hwang gave invited lectures at the 25th ICM held in Madrid. In that year, Korea ranked 12th in the world in terms of SCI publications in mathematics and submitted an application to IMU for its IMU group level to be raised to Group 4. In 2007, IMU raised Korea's group level to Group 4, making Korea the first country whose IMU group level has been raised by two steps at once. With this new confidence, based on a series of high-level accomplishments, the Korean Mathematical Society has made the hosting of ICM 2014 a prime objective and all members are vigorously applying their energy to ensure that the Society will continue to be fully recognized and acknowledged in the international world.
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