South Korea celebrates 30th anniversary of Antarctic base

SEOUL: To celebrate the 30th anniversary of an Antarctic base, South Korea buried a time capsule, which will be opened 70 years later to mark the base’s centennial, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported the maritime ministry as saying yesterday.

Members of the King Sejong Station sealed their personal belongings, equipment and photos in a time capsule and buried it under the base in a ceremony, which was attended by Oceans Minister Kim Young-choon and chiefs of foreign research stations in the South Pole.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the time capsule will be opened in 2088 to celebrate the centennial of South Korea’s first polar research institute.

“We hope the time capsule will bestow the spirit of polar exploration to the next generation,” the ministry said in a release.

The research institute was built on King George Island in the western part of the South Pole on Feb 27, 1988, to explore the pristine environment of Antarctica and collaborate in international research projects.

With about 100 staff, the station currently conducts two major expeditions per year, one in summer and the other in winter, for research activities in such areas as geology, biology, meteorology and seismology.

This year, the research team will explore a subglacial lake 2,500 kilometers below the Antarctic sea, where unique microorganisms and climate records may be found, the ministry said.