South Korean researchers are preparing to lift the lid on North Korean science with a Web site featuring research from their ultrareclusive neighbor. This month the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) will begin uploading papers from North Korean scientists onto a Web site. The goal, says Choi Hyun-Kyoo, a researcher at KISTI, is "to improve communication and contacts with the North." The project, which has no formal input from North Korean researchers, will cost $55,000 for the first year.
The bulk of the North's research is defense-related, but Hahn Sun-Hwa, a KISTI senior researcher, says it also claims to do world-class work in chemistry and mathematics. A contingent of North Korean students has twice in recent years won an international "Go" tournament held in Japan, he notes.
Because North and South Koreans often use very different words for the same science, Hahn plans on building a North-South dictionary for the Web site. The content initially will be in Korean, but KISTI hopes to start posting English abstracts as soon as early next year.
