Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to deliver the congratulatory remarks at this ceremony as the president of the Institute for Basic Science.

First of all, I must express my heartfelt congratulations and thanks to President Jae-ho Yeom of Korea University for inviting me to this meaningful event.

I would also like to thank Choon Hee Lee, the mayor of Sejong City and the distinguished guests for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend today’s ground-breaking ceremony.

I’d also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Jung Kyu Seon, the vice president of Korea University’s Sejong Campus and his predecessor, Professor Eun San Kim, Dean of the Department of Accelerator Science and all the persons concerned for their hard work in making today’s achievement possible.

The Special Act on Establishment of and Support for International Science and Business Belts was declared in 2011. With its inception we hope to make meaningful contributions to humanity and society by establishing a globally competitive research complex in basic science. Such a national wish led to the establishment of the Institute for Basic Science and the heavy ion accelerator RAON at the central district of the International Science and Business Belt (ISBB).

The construction of heavy ion accelerators is the ISBB’s representative project. Heavy ion accelerators are constructed and operated by advanced nations of the world as true manifestations of their national strength. The success of our construction and the operation of our heavy ion accelerators indicate one of the most inspiring deeds: That is to elevate Korea's status in the scientific community.

In 2013 the Rare Isotope Science Project of IBS and the Sejong Campus of Korea University signed an MOU and joined hands to create the Graduate School of Accelerator Science. This school will manage faculty researcher programs, in terms of composition and appointment, and lay the foundation to jointly build and operate the heavy ion accelerator experimental apparatus. We will conduct joint research and development activities and train experts for the future, which will ultimately lead to the establishment of the IBS-KU Science Park.

Today's ground-breaking ceremony for the heavy ion accelerator testing facilities symbolizes the great efforts of the two organizations which have finally have paid off. In view of Korea's severe lack of high-quality experts in the accelerator field, the masters and doctoral degree programs within the Department of Accelerator Science are expected to perform the crucial role of producing excellent graduates, with the testing facilities serving as the cradle in the process. Excellent management of the heavy ion accelerators requires steady world-class research and development activities, both at the construction stage and the operational stage after construction is completed.

In this regard, research personnel including graduate students of the Department of Accelerator Science and researchers from the Rare Isotope Science Project of IBS are expected to engage in active and systematic collaboration at the heavy ion accelerator testing facilities.

Furthermore, it is our sincere hope that this facility will, play a key role in the KU-IBS Science Park in attempting to gain a foothold in conducting accelerator research. We are hopeful it will pave the way for utilizing research resources such as research personnel, research facilities and equipment to unconstrained use for sharing under the R&D ecosystem titled ‘the International Science and Business Belt’.

And once again, I am happy to be joining with the Sejong Campus of Korea University in promoting the vision of IBS to make discoveries for humanity and society by pursing excellence in research on basic science.

Thank you.