Greetings.

My name is Seongjin Ahn, and I am the president of Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity(KOFAC).

Congratulations to the attendees and organizers of the 2020 Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness in Daegu, South Korea. It is impressive to see it being held in Korea for the third time, following the first in 1994 and second in 2004.

With the advent of the 21st century, the world is undergoing an unprecedented revolution of science and technology.

Modern technologies and industries, driven by a network of talent in science and engineering, create new value through a convergence of different fields such as artificial intelligence, the internet of Things, robotics, 3D printing and biotechnology.

Humanity is expected to embrace more changes and push forward into a new frontier of innovation.

As a result, the entirety of human society is expected to undergo great changes and innovations. In this sense, the discovery and nurturing of gifted individuals in science around the global to serve their nations and humankind is important for the development of our world.

KOFAC supports the operation of specialized educational institutions that identify and nurture the potentially gifted individuals in science, as well as the development of customized programs to strengthen their research and development capabilities.

In addition, KOFAC has advanced the educational system for discovering and fostering gifted individuals in science who will lead the fourth industrial revolution. We are also researching and analyzing issues related to science and SW gifted education around the world in order to find the optimal educational policy that meets the needs of our time.

The 2020 APCG Conference will be a new turning point in the education of gifted individuals in science and an opportunity for us to expand our cooperative efforts.

This year, the Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness will discuss the concept of gifted children and preview the new future of gifted education around the world.

We hope this will be an opportunity for all of you, the educators, researchers, and other concerned parties, to share valuable opinions with each other.

Thank you.

Seongjin Ahn, Ph.D.

President of Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity