King Sejong Station

King Sejong Station
Antarctic base
Location of King Sejong Station in Antarctica
Location of King Sejong Station in Antarctica
King Sejong Station
Location of King Sejong Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 62°13′22″S 58°47′18″W / 62.222803°S 58.788256°W / -62.222803; -58.788256
Country South Korea
Location in AntarcticaBarton Peninsula
King George Island
Antarctica
Administered byKorea Polar Research Institute
Established17 February 1988 (1988-02-17)
Named forKing Sejong the Great of Joseon
Elevation
[1]
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Summer
68
 • Winter
22
UN/LOCODEAQ KSG
TypeAll-year round
PeriodAnnual
StatusOperational
Activities
List
  • Meteorology
  • Oceanography
WebsiteKorea Polar Research Institute
King Sejong Station
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSejong Gwahak Giji[2]
McCune–ReischauerSejong Kwahak Kiji

The King Sejong Station (Korean: 세종과학기지) is a research station for the Korea Antarctic Research Program that is named after King Sejong the Great of Joseon (1397–1450).

Established on February 17, 1988, it consists of 11 facility buildings and two observatories, and it is located on the Barton Peninsula (King George Island), it is currently overseen by station chief scientist In-Young Ahn.[3][4] It experiences a fairly mild climate subsequently drawing many animals for summer breeding.

In the summer, the station supports up to 68 people,[1] including scientists and staff from the Korea Polar Research Institute and guest scientists from other institutions as well. Over winter, it accommodates only 22 engineers and scientists[1] who maintain the station and routinely collect data (meteorological records, oceanographical parameters, etc.), but their main focus is on tracking the general change of the natural environment. Researchers from Korea continually collaborate with various other institutes in Antarctica and the rest of the world by participating in, monitoring, and contributing to the World Meteorological Organization, the Global Sea-level Observing System, the International Seismological Center, and the Intermagnet Project.

The station is usually re-supplied yearly by the RV Onnuri and more frequently by planes flying from Jubany in Argentina and the Chilean Eduardo Frei Base.[5]

The RV Araon was commissioned in 2009, and she supplies South Korea's research stations, including the Jang Bogo Station.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. ^ The Korean name means Sejong Science Base literally. Its shorten name is Sejong Giji (literally, Sejong Base).
  3. ^ "Antarctica - Southern Exposure - Foreign Correspondent - ABC". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  4. ^ "Annual Report" (PDF). eng.kopri.re.kr. Korea Polar Research Institute. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  5. ^ "King Sejong". Newzeal.com. 2000-11-07. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  6. ^ Yonn Gong (2010-01-12). "S. Korean icebreaker begins first Antarctic voyage". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11.