Unification of analytical fixed point theorems in non-linear analysis
Established the basis of Korean mathematics via education, fostering junior researchers and public writings
Park Se-hee
Professor of Seoul National University (1935~)
- Academic background
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1959
B.S., College of Liberal Arts and Science, Seoul National University (Mathematics)
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1961
M.S., Graduate School of Seoul National University (Mathematics)
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1975
Ph.D. in Science, Graduate School, Indiana University
- Professional career
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1964 ~ 1991
Professor of Seoul National University
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1982 ~ 1984
President of the Korea Mathematics Society
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1994 ~
Founding member, Regular member, Director and Life member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology
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2001 ~
Member of the Korean Academy of Sciences
- Awards
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1987
Order of Civil Merit, Camellia Medal
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1994
Korean Academy of Sciences Award
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2007
Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology Award
Established the mathematics education at the SNU and fostered talented junior researchers
Professor Sehie Park was a mathematics researcher who accomplished internationally accredited research merits in non-linear analysis, and a mathematics educator who established the basis of the department of mathematics and graduate school education, serving as a professor for nearly 60 years at Seoul National University. He was also a writer who contributed to the popularization of mathematics, mathematics history, and mathematics philosophy via active public writings.
He was a bookworm when he was little. He was interested in the liberal arts, such as literature, philosophy, and history. However, witnessing the chaotic society from the separation of the country and the Korean War, he was determined to study science, which was not affected by politics or ideology. Therefore, he actively took liberal art classes such as literature, philosophy, and history after he entered the College of Liberal Art and Science of Seoul National University. These studies helped his writings later. He majored in mathematics, as he thought that he could be ‘at least a mathematics teacher’ in Korea in 1950s when there wasn’t enough demand for highly educated human resources. However, he entered graduate school with the encouragement of his professor (professor Yun-Sik Choi) at the college, and devoted himself for nearly 60 years at the Department of Mathematics of Seoul National University from an unpaid teaching assistant to an honorary professor after retirement.
Published over 700 papers in non-linear analysis and acquired international recognition
Professor Park made vast accomplishments throughout a 60 year-long research career, including 405 research papers, 304 papers published on Mathematical Reviews of the American Mathematics Society, 104 explanatory papers on mathematics history and mathematics philosophy, and 29 books and translations, which totals to 842. Also, he contributed to the activation of Korean mathematics via having 160 research articles published in international conferences and over 100 times giving invitational lectures on Korean conferences and universities, enhancing the profile of Korean mathematics globally.
Professor Park’s mathematical achievements can be summarized as the ‘unification of analytical fixed point theorems in non-linear analysis’ and the ‘establishment of the theory of abstract convex space’. The former is to make one theory from many fixed point theorems in analysis, for which he received the Korean Academy of Sciences Award in 1994. The second one extends from the former, which he summarized into one of those general research related areas to over a hundred theorems derived from the abstract convex space theorem made by Polish scholars. Within the summary, he established a vast logical system, ‘Grand KKM Theory’, which was an important achievement quoted 390 times across the world.
As all his accomplishments were made with the backdrop at the Department of Mathematics (currently the Mathematical Science Division) of Seoul National University, he left a great footprint as an educator as well. He taught 15 masters and 12 doctors leading seminars for over 30 years during his service for the Dept. of Mathematics, SNU. Also, he modernized the education courses and textbooks. In addition, he played a crucial role in enhancing education and research in the graduate course on a regular level by producing the first Ph.D. under the new system at the Dept. of Mathematics.
Contributed to the popularization of mathematics and mathematical philosophy via active public writings
He also contributed to the establishment of Korean mathematics via the Korea Mathematics Society. After 1959, when he entered graduate school, he performed lots of work, such as the operation of the society, creation of a journal, and fundraising while he served various positions at the Korea Mathematics Society. From 1982 to 1984, he took on the position of the president of the society and worked for the modernization of the journal, establishment of the Society Award, reestablishment of the Spring Conference, funding, establishment of the Mathematics Education Symposium, creation of “Mathematics Journal” and ‘Newsletter’, and the establishment of the systems of local societies and divisions. In February 2015, he worked as the chairman of the editing committee of the “Korea Mathematics Society 70 years History: 1946 – 2016” and successfully published an 844-page publication the following year.
Other than these, professor Park also contributed to the popularization of mathematics by public writings. He actively participated in editing various textbooks as well as writing or translating public books to introduce mathematics, mathematics history, and mathematics philosophy to be easily understood, developing the barren area.