The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources will strengthen international cooperation for earthquake and volcanic research with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey (AFAD) and the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) of Turkey.
On the morning of the 22nd, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen international collaboration in the fields of intraplate earthquakes, faults, and volcanic research with the Turkish government at its main research center in Daejeon. Attending the ceremony were Kwon Ik-kyun, President of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Orhan Tatar, Director of the Earthquake and Disaster Risk Reduction Department at the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey, and Hasim Aur, Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration of Turkey.
The central region of the Anatolian Block in Turkey exhibits both tectonic movements at the plate boundary and within the plate, with well-preserved traces of past volcanic activity, making it an optimal site for geological disaster research. Its seismic activity characteristics are similar to those of the Korean Peninsula, making Turkey a key nation for comparative studies aimed at enhancing domestic earthquake and volcanic disaster response capabilities.
Based on this agreement, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources plans to formalize a cooperation framework with the Turkish government in a wide range of research areas related to geological disasters such as earthquakes, volcanism, and fault activity, and is set to engage in joint research. They also agreed to conduct studies on seismic risk assessment, drilling technology for deep earthquake observation, sensor development for earthquake monitoring, displacement observation using satellites and LiDAR, and volcanic activity monitoring.
Kwon Ik-kyun, president of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, noted, "I expect that cooperation with Turkey, which has geological environments similar to East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, will serve as an important turning point to enhance our disaster response technology capabilities," and added, "Through continuous geological disaster research and scientific exchange, we will become a leading institution in advancing geological disaster research that protects the lives and safety of the public."