History

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the “2023 Kyushu-Seibu / Pusan-Gyeongnam (KSPG2023) Joint Symposium on High Polymers(20th) and Fibers(18th)" in Kyushu University. We believe that this symposium will set the stage for successful continuation of the joint symposium of both countries.
The First Joint Symposium, initiated from informal talks between Prof. Tisato Kajiyama of Kyushu University and Prof. Sung Chul Kim of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology at the winter Gordon Conference in 1983, was held in Pusan National University in Korea on November 2, 1984, to stimulate research activities among polymer scientists in both the Kyushu branch members of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan and Pusan-Gyeongnam branch members of the Polymer Society of Korea. Since then, a strong network among polymer scientists in both countries has been established to provide discussion forums for young researchers to discuss current trends and advances in the field of polymers and related materials science. Following the big success of the first symposium, the second symposium was also successfully held in Fukuoka, Japan in 1985.
Two years later, scientists from the Fiber Societies of Korea and Japan, located in the same region, also joined the third symposium, which was held at Cheju, Korea, in 1987. New members were from the Pusan-Gyeongnam branch of the Korean Fiber Society and from the Seibu branch of the Fiber Science and Technology in Japan. It was named as “The Third Symposium on High Polymers and the First Pusan-Seibu Joint Symposium on Textiles.” Finally, the present name was employed in the joint symposium held in Kumamto in 1997.
This symposium, which was set to take place in 2022, has officially been postponed until this year due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infection.

We hope that this symposium will particularly contribute to the undertaking of high-quality research and education in the fields of polymers and fiber materials, and share scientific knowledge by possible academic and research collaborations between Korea and Japan.