Established independent ship design technology as a progenitor of marine engineering in Korea
A groundbreaker of ship history, who compile ancient shipbuilding history being forgotten
(Late) Kim Zae-geun
Honorary Professor, Seoul National University (1920~1999)
- Academic background
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1943.09
Graduated Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kyungsung Imperial University
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1954.03 ∼ 1955.02
Visiting Fellow, Department of Ship Building and Marine Engineering, MIT, US
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1968.02
Ph.D. at Graduate School of Seoul National University
- Professional career
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1949.03 ∼ 1985.02
Assistant professor, associate professor, and professor of the Department of Ship Building and Marine Engineering, Seoul National University
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1951.11 ∼ 1970.10
Founding director and chairman of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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1966.04 ∼ 1999.04
Member of National Academy of Sciences (served as chairman of natural science division and vice chairman of the National Academy of Sciences)
- Awards
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1972.08, 1985.02
Order of Civil Merit, Camellia Medal
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1993.05
5.16 National Culture Prize (Industry)
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1995.05
Korea Science and Technology Book Awards
Shipbuilding engineer who pioneered marine engineering in Korea and made its professional education course
Professor Zae Geun Kim was appointed as the first professor of marine engineering at Seoul National University in 1949 and led the creation of the marine engineering department. He was a big star in marine engineering that produced a number of younger scholars by learning mostly all subjects by self-study.
He is called as a progenitor of marine engineering in Korea, as he settled the marine engineering in Korea, prepared the basis for education and study of modern marine engineering, and supported the establishment of the marine engineering department in several universities, after learning the modern marine engineering system in US and returning back to Korea after
He prepared the basis that Korea can perform the basic design of shipbuilding independently, by trimming and teaching his ship design experiences accumulated in ship machinery factory under the Japanese Imperialism. It became the background to secure technological competitiveness from which Korean can become the world's top-ranked country in shipbuilding.
His doctoral thesis, ‘An Experimental Study on the Wave-Cancelling Effects of Large Bulbous Bow on the Passenger Coast’ (1968), was the first article dealing with power saving in shape design of Korean ship and made the level of Korean marine engineering advanced upward by conducting the experiment with self-made testing water tank for miniature ship installed in Seoul National University.
As a pioneer in the study on Joseon military ships such as the Turtle Ship compiled Korea ship history
At that time when he served as chairman of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea, he suggested the shipbuilding industry promotion policy to the Government and requested to support the shipbuilding industry to grow up to the representative industry of Korea. That suggestion became the cornerstone to make Korea settled as the world's top-ranked county in shipbuilding. Realizing that it is urgent to secure self-inspection technology of ships to become a leading country of shipbuilding, he led foundation of Korean Register of Shipping and served as the chairman to grow it up one of world top 10 register of shipping by making it an inspection agency to secure the quality of ships built in Korea globally.
Professor Zae Geun Kim carried out an intensive study on the military ship in Joseon Dynasty including the Turtle Ship with interest in the history of Korean ancient ships from the 1970s to post-retirement and left a lot of articles and books. From the ‘Naval Architectural Examination on the Turtle Ship’ in 1972 to ‘Military Ships at the end of Joseon Dynasty’, the academic value of his empirical study on ships in the Joseon Dynasty was recognized highly in Korea and foreign countries. Especially it was spotlighted publically by restoring Korean cultural heritage being forgotten scientifically.
In 1952, he led the foundation of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea and made a great contribution to make education and research environment of marine engineering, serving as the founding director and chairman. During his tenure of the chairman, he began publication of the Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea to encourage research publication.
Led shipbuilding industry promotion policy and prepared the basis of the leading country of shipbuilding
From the 1950s when international activities were difficult, he participated in representative international meetings in marine engineering such as IPFC, ITTC, IMO, and ISSC and acted as a Korea representative to prepare a basement to make marine engineering technology of Korea go out into the international society.