Future Display

Greetings, KIDS members! The Year of the Snake, 2025, has dawned brightly. I hope this year will bring even greater hope and happiness to each of you.

The Korean Information Display Society (KIDS), which was founded in 1999, has grown rapidly as an academic organization over the past 25 years with more than 4,000 members. During this time, we have implemented various programs and initiatives to promote the development of KIDS, and have worked tirelessly to provide our members with valuable information and benefits. This year, with the dedicated efforts of our outstanding executive team, the continued support of member companies, and the encouragement of our members, we believe that KIDS will achieve even broader growth and progress.

The display industry in Korea has led the global market in terms of market share over the past 20 years, driving both market and technological advancements. However, recently, it has faced significant challenges due to fierce competition from China and a slump in the display market. Amid these difficulties, it seems there is a shift from the traditional concept of mass production and mass sales to a new market paradigm. Particularly with the emergence of new technologies such as AR/VR/MR and AI, the demand for manufacturing technologies on new concept displays is rapidly increasing. Therefore, if Korea fails to secure display technologies that can meet these new demands, it will be exceedingly difficult for the nation's display industry to regain its competitive edge on the global stage. Amid these challenges and the new demands facing the display industry, KIDS aims to play a pivotal role in maintaining its reputation as a leader in global display technology advancement. Succeeding in this field requires collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions to integrate knowledge and expertise while fostering innovation that reinforces Korea's leadership. Thus, KIDS will focus on the following operational policies to drive progress.

First, we aim to invigorate industry-academia-research exchanges. We will enhance the operation of KIDS activities, such as industry-academia-research meetings, New-KIDS workshops, and hiking clubs to facilitate active exchanges among these groups. Additionally, we aim to promote exchanges through domestic and international conferences. By promoting such conferences like the Korean Meeting on Information Display (KMID), The International Meeting on Information Display (IMID), and encouraging participation in international conferences such as The Society of Information Display (SID), we will develop member-centered exchange spaces. These efforts will help maintain Korea's leading position in display technology.

Second, we aim to expand member exchange events. By revitalizing research groups and regional branch activities, as well as hosting forums on the latest technological trends, we will enhance member satisfaction. Moreover, through international display exchange events, we seek to improve members' understanding of technological trends. Furthermore, by formulating strategies for the development of the display industry and increasing the practical benefits for our members, we strive to boost member satisfaction and establish KIDS as a vibrant platform for collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutes.

Third, we will actively utilize KIDS' various programs to nurture future display talent, and enhance the promotion of KIDS. By expanding KIDS' social contribution and donation activities, and further developing the KIDS Display School (KDS), which has been running for the past 16 years, we aim to provide significant support to employ students from science and engineering universities and retrain display industry professionals. Additionally, we will further develop webinars and online educational programs, and promote more field visits and tour programs to display industry sites for students. Through these measures, we will expand the talent pool for the domestic display industry and plant the seeds to nurture the next generation of professionals. Next, we will continue our proactive promotional efforts to raise awareness of KIDS among the general population and encourage participation in various programs to help them acquire a fundamental understanding of display technology.

In addition to these three key initiatives, we will continue growing and developing the IMID conference and the Journal of Information Display (JID), both of which are currently being managed very effectively by KIDS. IMID, along with SID, is one of the largest display academic and exhibition events in the world. We will promote closer cooperation with international display conferences and societies such as SID, the International Conference on Display Technology (ICDT), and the International Display Workshop (IDW), to strengthen our relationships with these global organizations. Furthermore, we will explore ways to increase the participation of foreign attendees and work towards further internationalizing the IMID conference. We will also ensure that high-quality research papers are submitted to JID, with the aim of improving its Impact Factor (IF) and Journal Citation Report (JCR) ranking. We ask for your continued support and encouragement to ensure the success of these key initiatives.

Wishing all our members and KIDS continued growth and prosperity in the year 2025.

Kwon Jang-hyuk, KIDS President