Top innovation showcased at Second Meeting of Latin American Researchers

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Top innovation showcased at Second Meeting of Latin American Researchers

Published: 22 Apr. 2025, 16:07 Updated: 22 Apr. 2025, 18:19

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Yanymee Guillen Quispe, founder of the Peruvian-Korean Academic Association, talks during the Second Meeting of Latin American Researchers on April 22. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Peruvian-Korean Academic Association hosted the Second Meeting of Latin American Researchers in South Korea on Tuesday, inviting 14 Latin American students to share their research projects. Professors, embassy officials and other students interested in research were also present at the event.

“Holding this initiative in Korea is particularly significant for two key reasons,” said Paul Duclos Parodi, Korean ambassador to Peru. “One is because Korea stands as a global leader in science and technology, whose remarkable development over the past decade serves as a success story that's built upon the promotion and strengthening of academic and scientific research.”

“Second, because Korea continues to play a crucial role in funding study programs and providing resources for innovation and learning in our region. The cooperation has made a substantial contribution to capacity-building across several fields of knowledge.”

Patricio Esteban Troya Suárez, Ecuador's ambassador to Korea, highlighted achievements of Ecuadorian students.

One of the mentioned researchers is Nabih Pico, who completed a Ph.D. at Sungkyunkwan University in 2022 and was recognized as the best researcher in the field of engineering in the university. He now works as a research professor at Sungkyunkwan University's Robotics and Intelligent System Engineering lab.

Taking the stage, Pico explained his research, which has improved the obstacle avoidance and autonomous navigation of vehicles based on reinforcement learning.

Four Colombian students also discussed their research in fields such as green batteries, business and nonprofit partnerships, colonial historical narratives and postpartum hemorrhage prevention.

“The contributions demonstrate the depth and diversity of Colombian academic engagement in Korea, and we are incredibly proud of the positive impact our researchers are making across disciplines,” said Francisco Alberto Gonzáles, minister plenipotentiary to the Embassy of Colombia in Korea.

“The embassy of Colombia wants to outline these as examples of knowledge diplomacy, which should be the heart of a modern partnership between Korea and Latin America in the science and technology fields, putting our region as a global key partner for Korea whenever innovative solutions are needed.”

Despite many Latin American researchers in Korean universities, there are obstacles that needs to be overcome to welcome more students to Korea.

Hannah Jun, a Ewha Womans University professor, mentioned that various factors such as language barriers, cultural differences, immigration and visa restrictions, and the competitive job market are common obstacles for Korean universities to attract and retain foreign talent.

She added that one of Ewha's focuses is to help its international students learn Korean, not only to be used in the academic environment, but also later in the workplace, which can help resolve the issue of language barriers and career prospects.

Creating opportunities for students to build networks is another important factor, with Jun recommending international students create communities among fellow researchers in the vein of that day's meeting.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]