Keynote Speaker: Joe M. Kang

Joe M. Kang

• Incoming President International Gas Union (IGU)

Dr. Kang is currently the Vice President of IGU and will be taking over as President of IGU in June 2018 for the Triennium 2018-2021. In 2021, Dr. Kang will be hosting the premier World Gas Conference 2021 in Daegu, Korea.

In addition to his role as VP of IGU, Dr. Kang is the Co-Chairman with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the Committee on Overseas Resources Development National Companies Restructuring and he is also the current Advisor to Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), a South Korean public natural gas company, where he had served as an independent Chairman in 2007-2010.

Dr. Kang has held numerous high profiled positions such as Civil Member of National Energy Council presided by President of Republic of Korea and from 2015 to 2016, served as Chairman in National Coordination Committee for Natural Gas Supply and Demand. Recently he has been engaging as a Co-Chair with Vice Minister in the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy in Special Committee for restructuring National Energy and Resources Development Companies including KOGAS, KNOC (Korea National Oil Company), and etc.

Prior to appointment as VP of IGU in October 2017, Dr. Kang was a professor at the Department of Energy System Engineering, College of Engineering at Seoul National University since 1986. He has published 51 professional papers in international technical journals and 41 in national journals and written more than 30 columns on national energy related issues in major newspapers in Korea.

Dr. Kang graduated in 1981 with a Ph.D in Petroleum Engineering from University of Oklahoma.