Kim Soon-kwon
Encyclopedia
Kim Soon-kwon is a South Korean maize
specialist employed by Kyungpook National University
. Although there is no support, some have claimed that he was nominated to Nobel Prize
in 1992, 1993 and again in 1996.
, on the southeast coast. This family depended on agriculture
to survive, and Kim, as the son of the family, helped too. He studied at the Ulsan Agrarian Institute, expanding his agrarian knowledge. However, it was difficult to attend university because of his family's economic situation. Instead, he earned a scholarship and entered into the Faculty of Agriculture and Science of Life of Kyungpook National University
in Korea.
Kim worked as a teacher to raise funds to attend university, as he dreamed of becoming an agriculutral scientist and combating hunger around the world.
Having a passion for agriculture, he decided to expand his knowledge of corn.
He studied in the University of Hawaii
where he started to investigate corn, a principal factor in defeating the menace known as starvation. He was impressed with American corn, which was 30 times better than the Korean one at the time. His studies soon attracted interest. During that time, there were about 50 companies in the United States seeking "better corn", and they discovered Kim's research. "Mr Kim, your investigation is really incredible. We are amazed. Do you want to work for us? We will pay you 20 times more," but Mr Kim denied and he returned to Korea with his Hawaiian degree. Finally, he developed the varieties 18, 19 and 20 of Suwon, which he grew in Gangwon-do city. When the corn grew, Kim saw that they were as big as the American ones.
In fact, in only 5 years he developed a corn hybrid in Korea's favour, which United States made it in 55 years. This successful hybrid changed Korea's agriculture, who was unable to make more.
(International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) was founded in 1967 by 2 American organizations dedicated to caritative entities; this organization also held UN support.
Dr Kim entered IITA, with his first mission in Nigeria
, IITA's seat. Remembering his promise to help people, he went to Africa. There, he began to search for an African hybrid. It was said that central and western Africa weren't able to produce a hybrid, however Dr Kim continued to organize his efforts. He attempted to create varieties of cultivations, which could be helpful for farmers in Africa and elsewhere in the world, cultivations that resisted diseases. In time, Kim made a hybrid for farms in Western and Central Africa, concluding with the "Miracle of Central and Western Africa". Nigeria, which needed to import one million tons of corn yearly, is now self-sufficient in corn production.
During his stay in Africa, he contracted malaria
5 times, but has recovered each time. It is believed that he accumulated about a million kilometres in travel in and out of Central and Western Africa.
"My best profit in Africa was the creation of varieties that could resist "striga
", a herb known as "Devil's herb". This herb caused a loss of 7 billion dollars. Western investigators tried to beat the herb for 100 years, but without much effect. Dr. Kim did not try to beat the herb, instead, he tried to create a variety of corn that could co-exist with the striga. After developing a new African hybrid of corn, the loss of production was reduced from 73% to 5%. His method can be applied not only to corn, but to rice, sorghum and other cultivations . These methods are believed to have resulted in gains of 1200 millions of dollars annually in benefits. This method is now used to control orobanche in Mediterranean areas Spain
, Eastern Europe
and Russia
, and has attracted interest internationally.
Then he was named "Mayegun" in Nigeria, meaning "Who feed poors". In 1986 he received the International Prize of Agrarian Investigation from the King of Belgium, with other prizes from other countries. Numerous companies asked Kim to join them, but he always denied and stayed in IITA.
It was around this time that starvation in North Korea
became a more pressing issue. It was a difficult decision to quit IITA and go to Kyungpook, where he received wage 4 times less, but he thought that such efforts might spur accelerated Korean reunification
. He founded the International Foundation of the Corn in March 1998 and became the director of the organization. Thanks to numerous sponsors he continued researching corn to help North Korea and countries in the Third World
.
http://starbulletin.com/97/04/17/news/story3.html
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
specialist employed by Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University , abbreviated as Kyungdae, is a leading national university in Daegu, South Korea. The university is one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities. It is one of the three best recognized and oldest national universities with Seoul National University and Pusan...
. Although there is no support, some have claimed that he was nominated to Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in 1992, 1993 and again in 1996.
Early life
Kim, better known in Korea as "Dr. Corn" or in Africa as "Green Revolutionary", was born to a poor family in UlsanUlsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
, on the southeast coast. This family depended on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
to survive, and Kim, as the son of the family, helped too. He studied at the Ulsan Agrarian Institute, expanding his agrarian knowledge. However, it was difficult to attend university because of his family's economic situation. Instead, he earned a scholarship and entered into the Faculty of Agriculture and Science of Life of Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University , abbreviated as Kyungdae, is a leading national university in Daegu, South Korea. The university is one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities. It is one of the three best recognized and oldest national universities with Seoul National University and Pusan...
in Korea.
Kim worked as a teacher to raise funds to attend university, as he dreamed of becoming an agriculutral scientist and combating hunger around the world.
Having a passion for agriculture, he decided to expand his knowledge of corn.
He studied in the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
where he started to investigate corn, a principal factor in defeating the menace known as starvation. He was impressed with American corn, which was 30 times better than the Korean one at the time. His studies soon attracted interest. During that time, there were about 50 companies in the United States seeking "better corn", and they discovered Kim's research. "Mr Kim, your investigation is really incredible. We are amazed. Do you want to work for us? We will pay you 20 times more," but Mr Kim denied and he returned to Korea with his Hawaiian degree. Finally, he developed the varieties 18, 19 and 20 of Suwon, which he grew in Gangwon-do city. When the corn grew, Kim saw that they were as big as the American ones.
In fact, in only 5 years he developed a corn hybrid in Korea's favour, which United States made it in 55 years. This successful hybrid changed Korea's agriculture, who was unable to make more.
Early goals
The IITAIita
IITA can refer to*Institute of Information Technology Advancement, South Korea.*International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria...
(International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) was founded in 1967 by 2 American organizations dedicated to caritative entities; this organization also held UN support.
Dr Kim entered IITA, with his first mission in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, IITA's seat. Remembering his promise to help people, he went to Africa. There, he began to search for an African hybrid. It was said that central and western Africa weren't able to produce a hybrid, however Dr Kim continued to organize his efforts. He attempted to create varieties of cultivations, which could be helpful for farmers in Africa and elsewhere in the world, cultivations that resisted diseases. In time, Kim made a hybrid for farms in Western and Central Africa, concluding with the "Miracle of Central and Western Africa". Nigeria, which needed to import one million tons of corn yearly, is now self-sufficient in corn production.
During his stay in Africa, he contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
5 times, but has recovered each time. It is believed that he accumulated about a million kilometres in travel in and out of Central and Western Africa.
"My best profit in Africa was the creation of varieties that could resist "striga
Striga (plant)
Striga, commonly known as witches weed, is a genus of 28 species of parasitic plants that occur naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Witchweeds are characterized by bright-green stems and leaves and small, brightly colored flowers. Furthermore, they are obligate parasites of roots...
", a herb known as "Devil's herb". This herb caused a loss of 7 billion dollars. Western investigators tried to beat the herb for 100 years, but without much effect. Dr. Kim did not try to beat the herb, instead, he tried to create a variety of corn that could co-exist with the striga. After developing a new African hybrid of corn, the loss of production was reduced from 73% to 5%. His method can be applied not only to corn, but to rice, sorghum and other cultivations . These methods are believed to have resulted in gains of 1200 millions of dollars annually in benefits. This method is now used to control orobanche in Mediterranean areas Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and has attracted interest internationally.
Then he was named "Mayegun" in Nigeria, meaning "Who feed poors". In 1986 he received the International Prize of Agrarian Investigation from the King of Belgium, with other prizes from other countries. Numerous companies asked Kim to join them, but he always denied and stayed in IITA.
It was around this time that starvation in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
became a more pressing issue. It was a difficult decision to quit IITA and go to Kyungpook, where he received wage 4 times less, but he thought that such efforts might spur accelerated Korean reunification
Korean reunification
Korean reunification refers to the hypothetical future reunification of North Korea and South Korea under a single government...
. He founded the International Foundation of the Corn in March 1998 and became the director of the organization. Thanks to numerous sponsors he continued researching corn to help North Korea and countries in the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
.
Sources
Koreana, Arte y Cultura de Coreahttp://starbulletin.com/97/04/17/news/story3.html