Korean Society of Plant Breeding has made significant contributions to the academic development of plant breeding and the advancement of the seed industry over the past 50 years since its establishment in 1969. Currently, it has evolved into one of the foremost agricultural societies in Korea, with a membership of over 1,000 professionals consisting of breeders and individuals engaged in related tasks from universities, national research institutes, and seed companies.
The Korean Society of Plant Breeding has been actively involved in disseminating genetic and breeding knowledge, which forms the fundamental basis for crop improvement and breeding, thereby promoting the progress of plant breeding in our nation. By extending this knowledge to the field of seed industry, it has contributed significantly to the development of plant breeding in Korea.
Advanced countries are allocating substantial budgets to the development of cutting-edge breeding technologies such as biotechnology, genomics-based breeding, and gene editing, resulting in a growing academic and technological gap between them and our country. However, we face challenges in securing budgets for large-scale government initiatives such as the Next-Generation Bio-Green Business and the Golden Seed Project. Moreover, while countries like Japan are commercializing genetically edited varieties without categorizing them as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the seed industry in Korea is facing difficulties due to pending legislation in the National Assembly that classifies genetically edited varieties as GMOs. In order to overcome these challenging circumstances and ensure continuous progress in academia and industry, it is imperative for us to pool our collective wisdom.
Since its inception, the Korean Society of Plant Breeding has been actively organizing annual regular academic conferences, serving as a platform for fruitful collaboration and information exchange between crop breeding research teams. This year, we are hosting an academic conference under the theme "Plant Breeding Strategy for Seed Industry Growth." The objective is to gain insights into the contributions of developed varieties to the advancement of the seed industry.
I extend our sincere gratitude to President-elect Kang Sung-taek, Professor Shim Sung-cheol, and the members of the academic divisions for their dedicated efforts in preparing for the conference. Although the schedule spans just one night and two days, we hope that it will serve as a vibrant arena for academic discourse, exchange of ideas, and productive discussions. Thank you.
President of Korean Society of Breeding Science
Byoung-Cheorl Kang