[Interview] Newly appointed president of the Daegu National Science Museum

▲ This photo provided by the Daegu National Science Museum shows newly appointed President Paek Woon-kee during an interview with Yonhap. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

by Yun Ji Hyun / Cha Min Kyung

SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- "We're going to expand the exhibition hall to become a comprehensive science center in the region. We will provide local people with new attractions and create a space for various experiences." 

Paek Woon-kee, the new president of the Daegu National Science Museum, said in an interview with Yonhap News shortly after his inauguration ceremony on April 13th, that he would actively lay the role of a regional science and technology hub.

One of the main projects President Paek emphasized on carrying out during his tenure was the expansion of the exhibition halls within the museum. The plan was to double the number of permanent exhibition halls to four, creating a Science Civilization Hall and an ecological center on the Korean Peninsula.

"While the field of science and technology is very wide, it is difficult to display everything in a limited exhibition hall," President Paek said. "Even if we can't exhibit all the artifacts, we'll fill in the gaps by providing detailed commentary and deeper education."

The main exhibition of the soon-to-be-built Science Civilization Technology Museum is the 'Jagyeongnu' also known as a self-striking water clock. The Daegu National Science Museum plans to use scientific theories to restore one of the National Treasures of S. Korea in its original form.

President Paek, also well known as a scholar within the Korean ecological community, expressed his special affection for the creation of an ecological center on the Korean Peninsula.

He confidently mentioned, "Ulleungdo and Dokdo are included in the Daegu National Science Museum. We have researchers collecting physical data in not only Daegu, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo but also across the peninsula so I think the exhibition will be worthwhile."  

▲ This photo provided by the Daegu National Science Museum shows President Paek explaining one of the biological data stored in the storage room of the Daegu National Science Museum. These data collected by science researchers will be revealed to the public once the ecology center is established. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

President Paek Woon-kee was also fully aware of the current situation of the science museum even though it had been less than 10 days since he started working as the head of the museum.

He had previously worked as the exhibition research head of the Daegu National Science Museum for exactly two years since January 2019. For the past three months, President Paek went to work as the head of the research and development division at the National Museum of Korea but returned back to work as the head of the science museum.

During the interview, he recalled the time when Daegu and the North Gyeongsang Province were hit by the first surge of COVID-19 confirmed cases.

According to President Paek, "At that time, there were no government guidelines," adding, "The Daegu National Science Museum was probably one of the first institutions that desperately felt the need to provide non face-to-face exhibitions.

As a result, the Daegu National Science Museum established an online science museum team this year, and all the employees worked together to produce various video contents. Researchers filmed and edited the process of collecting samples or creating their own exhibits and uploaded them on YouTube.

After the pandemic started, the paradigm for exhibitions and museums has completely changed," said President Paek. "As offline visits are strictly operated through reservation systems and education programs are held for small scaled groups only, we decided it was necessary to supplement the missing content through online videos."

▲ This photo provided by the Daegu National Science Museum shows President Paek Woon-kee. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

President Paek, who was a former research official at the National Science Museum for 30 years, was the first case to become a president of the museum through his own promotion since the National Science Museum was established. In recognition of his expertise, he was immediately selected as the president of the Daegu National Science Museum.

The research veteran also expressed his willingness to establish a virtuous cycle structure in which employees' research achievements lead to exhibition and education.

Starting from last year, the Daegu National Science Museum has been carrying out a "one-person research project" in order to display outstanding research results. Each year, more than 10 new exhibits have been developed and exhibitions have been continuously held in order to hold special exhibitions.

The museum also plans to push for the establishment of a research institute near the science museum. This is to promote joint cooperation with external research institutes and improve the overall quality of research results.

Asked what kinds of programs the museum has for foreign visitors, President Paek said, "While there aren't many foreigners visiting our museum quite yet, we are preparing to develop contents that are suited towards foreigners in order to share them when they come to our museum."

President Paek earned a master's and doctorate degree in zoology from Kyungnam University and went on to work as a researcher at the National Science Museum. He later served as the head of the public relations cooperation and research promotion department as well. 

President Paek Woon-kee has also been engaged in various activities in the ecological community, including being the president of The Korean Society of Phycology, Korean Society of Environment and Ecology, and as the Korean representative of the OECD Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

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