IBS President’s Opening Address at ICHEP 2018

Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 39th International Conference on High Energy Physics, ICHEP 2018. I would like to begin by recognizing and thanking professors Jihn E Kim, Un-ki Yang, Yeongduk Kim, and other members of the local organizing committee for their hard work in preparing for this conference. I would also like to thank lawmakers Sang-jin Shin, Se-jung Oh, and Kyung-jin Kim for their support of basic science and being with us here today. I understand ICHEP is the most important conference for the high energy physics community. As the president of the Institute for Basic Science, I am greatly honored to co-host such a prestigious conference with the Korean Physical Society.

At this point, allow me to recall the famous phrase of Dr. Robert Wilson, the first director of Fermilab. When confronted in a 1969 Congress hearing to justify the budget of $250 million from an application and defense point of view, he replied that their research "has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending". I am thankful that ICHEP has inherited the philosophy of Dr. Wilson even in these times where much emphasis is placed on immediate economic impact of scientific research.

The Institute for Basic Science, known as IBS, also conducts research on pure basic science, including dark matter, neutrino, particle theory, and cosmology. These are the topics undertaken mainly by IBS Center for Underground Physics, Center for Theoretical Physics of the Universe, and Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research. Actually, these three centers are actively supporting and participating in this conference.

With the vision of ‘Making Discoveries for Humanity and Society’, IBS is setting a new paradigm in basic science research in Korea by supporting long-term basic science research that is difficult to be handled by universities or other government funded research institutions.

ICHEP, with a history of nearly 70 years, has served as a vital platform for exchanging recent achievements and new ideas on wide-ranging aspects of particle physics. I am confident that ICHEP 2018 will be remembered as the most successful meeting that will ultimately contribute to the advancement of science, as well as set a new milestone for particle physics research in Korea.

In closing, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all the speakers and participants who have traveled a long way to Seoul to be here. I hope that everyone will have a wonderful time during the conference and enjoy your stay in Seoul. Thank you very much!