Do you know that Dankook University (DKU) has one of the world’s most prominent 100 scientists according to the United Kingdom’s IBC? If not, you may have heard of ‘Modern People and Pets,’ a liberal arts class. If you want to enroll in ‘Modern People and Pets,’ you have to beat the stiff competition in Cheonan campus. DKH interviewed Prof. In- Ho Kim (College of Bio-Resources Science) who is both a humorous person and one of the world’s top scientists. He has been very influential in the pig industry through developing foodstuff free of antibiotics and increasing pig productivity.

▲ In-Ho Kim is a famous scientist in the world.

DKH : You have strong influence in the pig industry. What made you decide to be a scientist of animal husbandry?

In-Ho Kim : I was very interested in live animals in my childhood, so I entered the Dept. of Animal Resources Science at DKU. At that time, I met my academic advisor who totally changed my life. My academic advisor recognized my attachment to animals, and he drew on my talents and interests. When I graduated from DKU, I decided to be an outstanding professor like my mentor, who was also my role model. So, I worked hard to achieve my goal.

DKH : What was the most difficult thing in your journey as a professor?

In-Ho Kim: When I started studying, I worked and studied in poor surroundings. I
always had to pick up experimental pigs and pig's feed in my car because at that time, DKU did not offer a truck for them, so the disgusting smell was always in my car. Due to that situation, I decided to concentrate on my studies further. My colleagues and I were not disappointed and frustrated by our situation, but we just concentrated on overcoming it and making improvements. Now, DKU has more excellent infrastructure for research than other universities because of our efforts. I feel it was worthwhile making these surroundings for the next generation of students to do research on high-quality experiments in biotechnology.

DKH : So, what kind of work do you do now?

In-Ho Kim : European pigs are coming into Korea duty-free because of the FTA
between Korea and Europe. So, we have to prepare a high quality pig farming management system by ourselves. In other words, my research is focused on constructing a pig welfare system to decrease pigs' stress in order to produce high-quality pigs. Also, I concentrate on making experimental pigs because the pig body resembles the human body. To develop pigs which can produce high amounts of insulin and lots of milk, we are collaborating with many other universities. I will focus on making high value pig models. DKU is the first to conduct this research in Korea.

DKH : Finally, what do you want to say to young dankookians?

In-Ho Kim : My motto is ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’ Students should have a goal. In my case, I desperately wanted to be a professor, and finally I achieved it. Also, if I had entered the College of Engineering, I would have been a poor student. What I mean is, it is very important to find your aptitude. If you want to find your aptitude, I recommend you to find good professors and meet them frequently. That way you can use better judgment in your career choice and be more absorbed with realizing your future goals. I hope that my younger alumni find their role models and achieve their goals like I did.

He finally said now he is very happy to have achieved his goal. Before I met him, I thought he was just a humorous person, but, unexpectedly, he is a serious adventurer. Even though he is always humorous in his class, actually he is a perfectionist and a serious scientist. From now on, how about focusing not only his funny words but also his progressive spirit and optimistic thoughts? As he said, “I was not disappointed by my situation, but I just concentrated on overcoming it.”