Dr. Son Wooju of KOPRI Selected for SCAR Science-Policy Fellowship

Only Two Selected Worldwide Each Year...
Joining Antarctic Resource Management Policy Through Krill Research Achievements

A Korean polar researcher has officially entered a key arena that links Antarctic scientific achievements to international policy.

The Korea Polar Research Institute announced on the 5th that its researcher, Dr. Son Wooju, has been selected as a final fellow for the "2026 Science-Policy Fellowship" organized by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).

Son Uju, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Researcher), Korea Polar Research Institute. Provided by the Korea Polar Research Institute.

The SCAR Science-Policy Fellowship is a program that connects the outcomes of Antarctic research with international decision-making processes, selecting only two early- to mid-career researchers worldwide each year. This year, Dr. Son from Korea and Dr. Hugo Benitez from Chile were chosen.

With this selection, Dr. Son will officially participate in the Scientific Committee meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which will be held in Hobart, Australia, in October this year. CCAMLR is a key international body that sets standards for the protection of the Antarctic marine ecosystem and the management of fisheries.

The Antarctic is a region where no country’s territorial claims are recognized, so protective measures and resource management regulations are decided through international agreements. In this process, scientists present their findings in the form of "policy reports" that policymakers can use, thereby contributing to the establishment of actual conservation policies.

The background to Dr. Son’s selection lies in his research on krill biomass and ecosystem variability conducted in the Ross Sea, the world’s largest marine protected area. By analyzing underwater acoustic data, he distinguished between Antarctic krill and ice krill, which have similar external appearances, and identified their aggregation characteristics and spatial distribution patterns under changing environmental conditions. This research is expected to be used to verify the conservation effectiveness of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area and to provide a scientific basis for policies to adjust krill catch limits in response to climate change.

This research was carried out as part of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries R&D project, "Study on Ecosystem Changes Following the Implementation of Conservation Measures in the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area," which the Korea Polar Research Institute has been conducting since 2017.

"I will do my utmost to ensure that scientists from the Republic of Korea can play a pivotal role in the international decision-making process for Antarctic conservation," said Dr. Son Wooju.

"The selection for this SCAR fellowship is a case that demonstrates how Korea’s polar research capabilities have grown to the point of helping shape the international norms for Antarctic governance," said Director Shin Hyungchul, adding, "We will continue to provide support so that Korea can solidify a leading position in both Antarctic research and policy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.