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Princess Anne of the United Kingdom (left) and Korea University President Kim Dong-one. / Courtesy of Korea University

Princess Anne of the United Kingdom visited Korea University on July 15 to closely inspect its cutting-edge semiconductor research facilities. The visit aimed to firsthand observe Korea's unrivaled advanced technological prowess and its university-industry collaboration models involving major conglomerates amid the global technological hegemony competition, as well as to solidify the tech partnership between the two nations.

The area that drew the greatest interest from Princess Anne was the SK Hynix Semiconductor Mini-Fab located on the 10th floor of the Jeong Woon-oh IT Center at Korea University. Touring the actual semiconductor processing equipment and research facilities, Princess Anne and her delegation assessed the current status of Korea's next-generation memory industry.

In particular, SK Hynix attracted attention by presenting Princess Anne with a plaque specially crafted using a 6th-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM4) wafer, a world-first development by the company. The plaque bore a message wishing for continued cooperation between South Korea and the UK in the field of advanced semiconductors. An Hyun, President of SK Hynix who accompanied the delegation, stated, "Through close cooperation with Korea University, we are nurturing outstanding global semiconductor talent," adding, "We will continue to expand joint research and technological exchange moving forward."

Next, Princess Anne and her delegation moved to the Future Mobility Lab on the 7th floor to review the achievements of university-industry collaboration in robotics. Demonstrations of humanoid and wearable robots developed by researchers from the Department of Smart Mobility with support from Hyundai Motor Company and other partners were conducted.

Princess Anne showed keen interest in the knee and ankle joint control technology of the wearable robots, asking technical questions about their operating principles. During the demonstration, her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, lightened the atmosphere by making a warm joke, saying, "My knees and ankles are not in great shape, so as the technology advances further, I hope I can use it myself one day."

After concluding the inspection, Princess Anne encouragingly remarked, "It was extremely impressive to see the university pioneering new academic fields in step with rapidly changing times while working closely with industry," adding, "I hope students continuously take on challenges while building new knowledge in such an outstanding educational environment."

On that day, Korea University President Kim Dong-one presented Princess Anne with a limited-edition silk replica of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's Maehwabyeongjeodo (1813), introducing the value of traditional Korean culture. Furthermore, the university reaffirmed the long history of exchanges between the two nations through a welcoming display highlighting the legacy of former President Yun Bo-seon, who studied at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, and the historical 1992 visit to Korea University by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

                                                                                                           Kim Tae-hoon