Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) is a private Korean oceanography research organization in Busan, South Korea. Formerly known as the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI), it started functioning with the new name of Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology from July 1, 2012. History. KIOST was founded on October 30th, 1973, under the name of the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI). It was originally located at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). On July 1, 2012, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science  and Technology was officially established. In 2014, the KIOST unveiled a six-legged robot that can walk the ocean floor. The robot is 2.4 x 2.4 x 1.3 meters in dimension. It weighs 650 kilos and contains 30 motors. In January 2017, after North Korea led nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, the KIOST published a study showing how radioactive materials from those tests probably traveled to the tip of Russia and Northern Japan. In July 2017, the KIOST partnered with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to further the Research Moored Array for African-Asian -Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction. In July 2018, when a South Korean company claimed to have found the wreck of a Russian warship (the "Dmitrii Donskoi") that hypothetically contained more than $130 billion in gold, the KIOST told the media it knew about the ship's location since 2003. Mission. The main functions of KIOST are: The KIOST also undertakes fundamental research in Antarctica. The main areas of interest are geological and geophysical science, the life sciences, and climate science. The institute owns the RV Onnuri, which is used to supply the year-round Antarctic station the King Sejong  Station (62.13'S; 58°45'W). Partnerships. KIOST has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and bilateral agreements with national research institutes in China, Micronesia, United States, United Kingdom and Peru. Tertiary educational partners include the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Rutgers University and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the University of Virginia in the United States. Partner organizations include Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia.