Special emphasis on Internet ethics education By virtue of an educational-industrial collaboration, the Korea Information Processing Society, which has grown into the largest academic society of the IT field at home, stands poised to lead industrial circles. In particular, the Society established 2006 as the year of transition, making substantial progress as the contribution of companies' patronage decreases according to the recent slump in IT business circles. Prof. Kim Byung Ki, professor in the Dept. of Computer and Information Science at Chonnam National University, who was elected as vice president of the Society recently, said in an interview with The Korea IT Times that the Society will strengthen collaboration with IT-related institutions as well as companies, including reinforcing educational-industrial bonds with IT associated companies. This Society, which was internationalized - something that happens seldom for general societies in Korea . has been holding regular academic conferences at home and abroad including the 4th APIS International Conference on Australia's Gold Coast and the 4th ALPIT International Conference in Bangkok, Thailand last year. During next year as well, the Korea Information Processing Society is planning to beef up joint academic conferences as well as exchanges with renowned overseas societies associated with IT and information processing, such as APIS 2006 and ALPIT2006. Prof. Kim commits himself to improve both quantitatively and qualitatively the publication of the Society's academic journal plus carrying out comprehensive projects to secure stable finances of the Society and providing its members with even more improved member services, such as the society's academic information system (member/paper/ finance). What is noteworthy is that the Society is beefing up Internet ethics education as well as its plans to send IT-associated books to North Korea. In regard to Internet ethics, Kim points out: "Since more diverse ethical problems are happening in an information society compared with the industrial society, an information society is a society in which the ethics consciousness of humankind is absolutely essential to be able to produce, distribute, circulate and use information straightforwardly." As many as 71 universities nationwide have adapted Internet ethics as their regular curriculum this year and as from next year, more universities over 100 universities are expected to follow suit, he said. Prof. Kim attaches special importance also to the Society's movement to send ITrelated books to North Korea as well as IT human power nurturing and IT exchange agreement with Chinese enterprises. This Society was established on Dec. 1, 1993 with a view to providing associated institutions with synthetic theory system about information processing and contributing to the IT industry and national development. As of Oct. 10, 2005, the Society's membership had reached 9,985 . including 862 life members, 4,316 regular members and 4,532 associate members. This Society's main events consist of the APIS international academic conference, IT-associated short-term lectures, spring academic conference, IT 21 conference, ALPIT international academic conference, ICIS international academic conference, fall academic conference as well as a regular general meeting plus a quality management symposium (SQMS).