Global scholars to discuss ways to combat COVID-19

The world’s greatest scholars in the fields of health, economy, and education will gather together to find ways to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to the post-COVID-19 world.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will hold an international forum under the theme of “Global cooperation to combat COVID-19” at its campus in Daejeon from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday. “This is the first discussion on global cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era, involving international corporations, organizations, and educational institutions,” said Kim Jung-ho, head of the Global Strategy Institute at KAIST. “The forum will be broadcast live via YouTube and Naver TV in order to practice social distancing.”

Arnaud Bernaert, head of Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum (WEF), will introduce the “COVID-19 Action Platform” launched by the WEF to overcome the pandemic during his keynote speech. Jerome Kim, director General of the International Vaccine Institute, will talk about international cooperation for the fast development of COVID-19 vaccine and Alexandros Papaspyridis, Higher Education Industry Solutions Director at Microsoft, will share some examples of digital innovation in higher education and changes in the education system brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Choi Yoon-jae, professor at KAIST graduate school of artificial intelligence (AI), will look at some AI technologies that can be applied to early detection, diagnosis, and spread of infectious diseases. “This forum will contribute to establishing a new norm in the current and post-COVID-19 world,” said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. The panel discussion will feature global experts, including senior director Rebecca Winthrop at the Brookings Institution and CEO Ryu Wang-sik of the Institut Pasteur Korea.


Myung-Hun Jee mhjee@donga.com