Institute to build Marine Science AI Research Center with 20.8 billion won investment; next-generation research vessel set for 2030 completion

[Provided by KIOST]
[Provided by KIOST]

"The convergence of AI and marine science and technology is a strategic opportunity to leap beyond the technological gap with advanced nations, present a new paradigm for ocean science, and emerge as a global maritime powerhouse."

Lee Hee-seung, president of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), said in an interview marking his second anniversary in office that the institute is channeling all its capabilities into preparing for the era of marine AI.

KIOST plans to invest 20.8 billion won (about $13.7 million) of its own funds by 2029 to build a Marine Science AI Research Center on the grounds of its main campus in Busan. The center is envisioned as national strategic infrastructure to drive the marine AI era, serving as a core hub for addressing pressing national challenges including maritime disaster response, climate prediction and digital twin-based simulation.

"We plan to integrate and manage data accumulated from research vessels, satellites and ocean science stations, and apply AI technology to improve diagnostic and predictive accuracy — with the goal of realizing safer seas and leading marine science and technology into the AI age," Lee said.

KIOST is also focusing its efforts on using AI to address the climate crisis. The institute continuously collects real-time ocean climate data through six research vessels — including the Isabu and Onnuri — four ocean science stations at Ieodo, Gageocho, Socheongcho and Wangdolcho, and six overseas research bases around the world. It plans to convert that real-time data into scientific evidence for policy decisions, covering sea level rise projections, assessments of the ocean's carbon sink capacity and monitoring of marine ecosystem changes. The broader aim is to elevate the role of ocean science along the full chain from observation to prediction to policy.

"What matters is that we are not simply collecting this data — we are using it as a scientific basis for national policy decisions," Lee said. "KIOST is supplying the core data for climate crisis response, including sea level rise projections, ocean carbon sink assessments and marine ecosystem change monitoring."

South Korea faces a critical shortage of research vessels capable of conducting ocean science and technology missions in the open and deep seas. KIOST currently operates two research ships: the 5,900-ton Isabu, which entered service in 2021, and the Onnuri, built in 1992. The Onnuri has already exceeded its 30-year replacement age, falls short of internationally accepted standards for deep-sea survey vessels, and poses significant safety concerns due to its deteriorating condition.

The project to build a replacement for the Onnuri was exempted from a preliminary feasibility review last August. The next-generation 3,500-ton research vessel, with a total project cost of 191.7 billion won, is currently in basic design with a target completion date of 2030. It will incorporate a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system to meet international environmental regulations and will be built as a multipurpose vessel capable of both coastal and deep-sea exploration.

Lee said the abolition of the project-based salary system has enabled a mission-centered research framework, and that KIOST intends to focus on work that only it can do — given its large-scale infrastructure of research vessels, ocean science stations and overseas bases. He added that if the domestication of marine organism-based stem cell materials succeeds, it could replace a market currently dependent on imports, while an AI-based underwater surveillance system could grow beyond domestic technology development into an export platform.

"The ocean is the most precious legacy we can pass on to future generations, and marine science and technology — the ability to accurately understand and predict the sea — is the most critical foundation for a nation's sustainable future," Lee said. "We will commit all of KIOST's capabilities to ensuring that more research outcomes are directly connected to people's lives, and that more people can enjoy healthy and safe seas."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com