Interview with Newly Appointed Professor Yeonuk Kim, Department of Rural Systems Engineering
We interviewed Professor Yoenuk Kim, who recently joined the major in Rural Systems Engineering at Seoul National University. As the agricultural and regional systems sector gains increasing attention through convergence with cutting-edge technologies, we had the opportunity to learn not only about Professor Kim’s main research areas and their impact, but also his warm advice for students.
1. Introduction
Hello, I’m Yeonuk Kim, newly appointed to major in Rural systems Engineering. I received my bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the major in Crop Science at Seoul National University, where I studied how climate change affects crops. Afterward, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research in Germany, conducting research on the vulnerability and sustainability or agricultural systems under extreme weather conditions. I am grateful to have joined the major of Rural Systems Engineering this semester.
2. Main Research Area: “Agricultural Meteorological Disasters”
My primary research interest lies in agricultural meteorological disasters. As climate change progresses, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods have become more frequent and more intense. Consequently, damages in the agricultural sector are rapidly increasing. The challenge is that systematic methods for assessing the risks of agricultural meteorological disasters are still very insufficient, which in turn makes it difficult to develop effective countermeasures. I expect AI and big data to play important roles in addressing these issues.
However, because future disasters may differ significantly in several aspects from those we currently observe, and because we lack data describing these future conditions, there are fundamental limitations in assessments based solely on AI models trained with present-day data. To overcome these limitations, we first need to accumulate data through field experiments that reproduce extreme weather conditions.
That said, field experiments require considerable time and financial resources, making it difficult to build large-scale datasets for training AI. Therefore, at this point, the most realistic approach is to use limited experimental data to improve progress-based models and to combine them with AI models through a hybrid approach. Of course, if AI-driven robots one day become capable of conducting experiments on their own, the situation could change dramatically.
3. Motivation for Choosing This Research Area: “Confronting Extreme Weather During Potato Experiments”
During my graduate studies, I conducted field experiments on how climate change affects potato yields. One day, a torrential downpour of over 100mm per hour caused all the potato plants I had carefully cultivated to lodge, forcing me to abandon the entire experiment.
Through this experience, I realized that gradual changes—like a 1–2°C increase in average temperature—are important, but evaluating how extreme weather affects crops and how such phenomena may change in the future is a more pressing and field-relevant question. Since then, I have focused more on agricultural meteorological disasters. Perhaps because of that incident, I initially studied heat-related damage when I was a student, but now I am also deeply interested in water-related disasters such as flooding, waterlogging, and drought.
4. Most Memorable Research: “Trust with Farmers Matters”
The most memorable project I have worked on involved assessing climate risks and exploring countermeasures together with farmers. Until then, I had mostly approached climate issues from a researcher’s perspective within our research group. Through this project, however, I was able to hear the vivid voices of farmers and learn what kinds of risks they actually experience, as well as what information and technologies they need to address those.
Farmers told us that while they have been able to adapt to gradual climate shifts—for example by adjusting sowing dates—it is very difficult for them to prepare for sudden droughts or floods. They emphasized the need for reliable decision-support tools based on weather forecasts, and this has become the subject of ongoing research.
Discussions with farmers regarding environmentally friendly agricultural technologies also taught me about the socioeconomic challenges they face when adopting carbon-reduction techniques promoted by policymakers and researchers. Conversely, I was able to quantitatively explain the environmental benefits of such technologies to farmers, building mutual trust in the process. I believe this trust is essential for the rapid adoption of carbon-neutral agricultural practices in real-world fields.
5. Positive Impacts of This Research on Society and Industry: “Reducing Damage Through Pre-Assessment”
My research can help pre-assess potential weather-related risks that may arise when new technologies are introduced into agricultural settings, thereby reducing unnecessary damage. For example, to manage national rice supply, the Korean government currently encourages farmers to grow upland crops in paddy fields. However, this significantly increases the risk of flooding and waterlogging. Because proper risk assessments have not been conducted, many farmers experience losses, and the government also ends up spending large amounts on compensation.
If such risks were assessed beforehand, technology adoption could be postponed or appropriate countermeasures could be prepared in advance, reducing potential damage. Additionally, as the government seeks to expand various agricultural technologies to achieve carbon neutrality, identifying and managing risk factors in advance can help build agricultural systems that are environmentally and socioeconomically sustainable. I also conduct research aimed at helping smallholder farmers in developing countries, such as in Africa, escape poverty.
By assessing the biophysical risks of meteorological disasters and linking them with economic impacts, I have also evaluated different agricultural insurance programs. I hope to continue contributing to global poverty reduction through such research. Applying these findings domestically to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Korea’s agricultural insurance system would also be highly meaningful.
6. Advice for Undergraduate and Graduate Students: “Cultivating an Interdisciplinary Perspective”
I hope students will develop interdisciplinary competencies that enable them to tackle the complex problems arising in agricultural settings. When conducting research, we often become aware of our own limitations. I feel this most acutely when talking with farmers—I realized that addressing real-world issues almost always requires collaboration with experts from other fields.
Interdisciplinary research sounds simple, but in reality, even basic terminology differs across fields, which makes collaboration challenging. I remember spending an entire year just discussing issues with researchers from other disciplines, with little actual research progress. I am learning these nowadays, but I hope students can experience this kind of interdisciplinary cooperation much earlier.
This may be obvious, but once you find a field you’re interested in and feel a sense of direction, it is important to commit yourself fully. Honestly, I struggled a lot as an undergraduate. I even received academic probation twice. In my third year, I was assigned to a lab and began visiting occasionally—soon I realized that doing experiments in the field was more enjoyable than attending lectures.
Even though I wasn’t fascinated by research at first, my interest grew as I immersed myself in it. The more interested I became, the more I was able to focus, creating a positive feedback loop. I believe this applies not only to research but to many aspects of life.
7. How I Relieve Stress
My methods for relieving stress seem to change over time. As an undergraduate, I played a lot of games like League of Legends. In graduate school, I enjoyed my research and received strong support from my advisor, so although research sometimes caused stress, it also helped relieve it—it felt like both work and a hobby. That’s still mostly true today, but I feel I should find something outside of research as well, so I am currently searching for a new hobby.
8. Final Message
Agricultural and life sciences go far beyond producing food—they are fields that support the sustainable development of the whole society. All of you have more than enough potential to realize this important value, so I hope you pursue your studies with passion. Please also remember that every professor and staff member at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is ready to fully support your growth, so don’t hesitate to seek help whenever you need it.
Through this conversation, we gained a fresh perspective on the relationship between agriculture and local communities. Professor Kim’s story reflects not only discussions on climate-change adaptation and advancements in agricultural technology but also the process of building a sustainable society through trust with the farmers who sustain agricultural fields. We look forward to the education and research that Professor Kim and many other scholars will lead—work that will surely guide us through the age of climate crisis.
