An inaugural conference will be held Wednesday by the Korea Association of Futures Studies to discuss the challenges of the future, organizers said.

The forum will be held at the Seoul building of the National Information Society Agency under the theme “Challenge New Futures,” to address such issues as the rise of artificial intelligence and robots and their social impact. The conference will cover a total of 38 theses authored on topics such as technology to predict and manage natural disasters, and the effects of youth unemployment on the future economy, addressing the long-term problems faced by Korea.

The conference will be divided into three sessions throughout the day. Each session will comprise four sub-categories. A general debate session will wrap up the event.

“The association will commit to the academic role of presenting theses and research and holding debates, while also striving to contribute to solving social issues such as by (preparing) future strategies for the country,” said Professor Lee Kwang-hyung, the president of the association.

Lee is currently dean of Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Former Minister of Science and Technology Kim Jin-hyun, who will deliver a congratulatory speech, said, “The modernization of South Korea has created another ‘miracle’ of malignant modernization that can be represented with family egoism, overflowing private education, the rapid surge of real estate, peculiar chaebol structure and regionalism.” He said the future task would be to filter and sublimate these two contrasting consequences in order to take the lead in the new order of civilization.

The association was launched in January and includes professors, researchers, journalists, business representatives and students. The organization has also opened its membership to middle and high school students as well as undergraduate students to expand the participation of the future generation. 

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)