KIOST co-hosted the two-day long "1st Korea-Spain Marine Science Symposium" from May 16 to 17, 2024, in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Science of the Spanish National Research Council (ICM-CSIC).

The symposium, attended by about forty people, was held in the Open Lab on the 7th floor of the administrative building, under the theme of “Integrated Technology Exchange for Marine Environmental Monitoring.”

Starting off with an opening speech by KIOST Acting President Dr. Hyi Seung Lee, the opening ceremony was followed by congratulatory remarks from the Colombian Ambassador to Republic of Korea and the Attache for Scientific and Academic Cooperation at the Embassy of France to the Republic of Korea. Afterwards, Dr. Seonock Woo, the KIOST-PML Lab Director who planned the event, introduced the speakers and the general program of the symposium.

In Korea, presentations were made by speakers from KIOST, the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, and Woosuk University. From abroad, numerous scientists from the ICM-CSIC, National Taiwan University, and the Ryuku University in Japan presented their research output.

Participants engaged in active discussions on a variety of topics, including the use of digital twin technology, underwater target tracking technology, deep-sea microbathymetry model, marine organism genetic ecology analysis, fisheries, and MPA effectiveness, concluding with plans to expand scientific exchange between the two countries in the future.