King Sejong Station

Korea’s first Antarctic research station, on the Barton Peninsula of King George Island, near gentoo and chinstrap penguin colonies.

The Korea Polar Research Institute runs the station. Compared with the rest of Antarctica the climate here is fairly mild, so many animals, such as penguins, come in summer to breed. Several dozen people can stay there in summer, but only a small team stays through the winter.

Life at the station

The base has about a dozen buildings and two observatories. In summer it can hold several dozen people, including scientists from other institutes. In winter only a small team of engineers and scientists stays to look after the station and keep collecting data.

Supplies come mainly by ship, such as the research icebreaker Araon, which began service in 2009, and by planes from nearby bases of Chile and Argentina.

What do they study?

Scientists measure weather, the ozone layer, the sea, glaciers, earthquakes and the Earth's magnetic field. They also study life on land and in the sea, and how nature changes with a warming world.

Korean researchers work with other countries and share their data with international organisations such as the World Meteorological Organization. The station also looks after a specially protected area at Narebski Point.

On the globe

The model shows the research station buildings on King George Island, near penguin colonies.