Lee Kwang-hyung, president of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), known as the "maverick president," has announced his resignation.
According to KAIST on the 27th, President Lee expressed his intention to resign following the board meeting held the previous day to select the next president. Lee plans to submit his resignation letter to the KAIST board and begin the transition process.
KAIST held a board meeting on the 26th to elect a new president. Three candidates competed for the position: incumbent President Lee Kwang-hyung, Professor Kim Jung-ho of the School of Electrical Engineering, and Lee Yong-hoon, former president of UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology). However, the vote failed as no candidate secured a majority. With the vote rejected and a new candidate search process set to begin, Lee appears to have decided to step down voluntarily. Lee's term had actually ended on February 22 last year, and he had been serving in an acting capacity for the past year.
Since taking office, Lee has led KAIST with an emphasis on "challenging without fear of failure." He established the Failure Research Institute, built the KAIST Museum of Art, and founded the AI Philosophy Research Center to promote convergence between science and humanities. During his time as a computer science professor in the 1990s, he mentored first-generation venture entrepreneurs including Kim Jung-ju (Nexon), Kim Young-dal (IDIS), Shin Seung-woo (Neowiz), and Kim Jun-hwan (Olaworks), earning him the title "Godfather of KAIST Venture Startups."
With the presidency now vacant, Vice President for Academic Affairs Lee Kyun-min will serve as acting president. The KAIST board plans to begin a new candidate search process, but considering procedures such as candidate nominations, it is expected to take at least several months.