King Sejong Station to Spend Its 40th Antarctic Winter... 32-Member Overwintering Team Deployed

Observation and research have continued since the station was completed in 1988
Teams to carry out yearlong missions at King Sejong and Jang Bogo stations

South Korea's first Antarctic research station, King Sejong Station, is preparing to spend its 40th winter. A new overwintering research team will take over the Antarctic observation and research mission that has continued without interruption since the station was completed in 1988.

The Korea Polar Research Institute held a launch ceremony for the overwintering research teams at King Sejong and Jang Bogo stations on October 19 at its headquarters in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon.

Commemorative photo from the launch ceremony for the wintering research team. Photo provided by the Korea Polar Research Institute.

This year's overwintering teams comprise 32 members in total: 16 for the 40th team at King Sejong Station and 16 for the 14th team at Jang Bogo Station. Kim Hyungjun will lead the King Sejong team, and Ji Geonhwa will lead the Jang Bogo team. The team members will spend about a year in Antarctica, conducting scientific observations and operating the stations.

Completed in 1988, King Sejong Station is a research hub for climate change, the ocean, the atmosphere, and biological resources. Jang Bogo Station, which opened in 2014, conducts research on glaciers, meteorites, space, and astronomy. The overwintering teams remain at the stations through Antarctica's harsh winter to collect observational data needed for climate change research.

The Jang Bogo Station overwintering team will depart on November 2 and arrive at the station on November 5. The King Sejong Station overwintering team will depart on November 27 and begin its work in Antarctica on December 1.

Shin Hyungcheol, president of the Korea Polar Research Institute, said, "Today's Antarctic research stations stand on the dedication of the many overwintering team members who came before us." He added, "We will do everything we can to support the team members so they can return home safely and in good health."

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