ProfilePrincipal Investigator

Jong-Seong Kug 국종성

Professor · Climate Change and Prediction

Jong-Seong Kug is a Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Seoul National University. He received his Ph.D. from Seoul National University in 2003 and worked at the University of Hawaii, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, and the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) before joining SNU in 2024. His research focuses on climate change mechanisms, ocean–atmosphere interaction and El Niño dynamics, the carbon cycle, and Earth's biogeochemical processes.

Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University
Vice Chair, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

E-mail: jskug@snu.ac.kr
PI office: Bldg. 501, Rm. 522
Phone: +82-2-880-6725

Research Interests

01Climate change mechanisms
02Ocean–atmosphere interaction and El Niño dynamics
03Carbon cycle
04Earth biogeochemical processes

Education

2003Ph.D., School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University
2000M.S., Atmospheric Sciences, Seoul National University
1998B.S., Atmospheric Sciences, Seoul National University

Career

2024.03–Professor, Seoul National University
2019–2024.02Full Professor, Pohang University of Science and Technology
2014–2019Associate Professor, Pohang University of Science and Technology
2013–2014Principal Research Scientist, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
2013–2014Professor, Ocean Science and Technology, Korea Maritime and Ocean University
2013–2014Director, Center for Earth Climate Changes
2010–2014Associate Professor, University of Science & Technology (UST)
2009–2013Senior Research Scientist, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
2013Lecturer, Ewha Womans University (“Basic Climate Dynamics”, “Ocean–Atmosphere Interaction”)
2007–2009Research Scholar, Department of Meteorology, SOEST, University of Hawaii
2007Visiting Professor, Center for Climate System Research, University of Tokyo
2006Lecturer, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University (“Climate Analysis and Prediction”)
2005Lecturer, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University (“ENSO Dynamics”)
2003–2007Postdoctoral Researcher, Climate Environment System Research Center, Seoul National University
1999–2001Teaching Assistant, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University

Professional Service

2023.01–2024.12Advisory Board, Division of Natural Sciences, National Research Foundation of Korea
2017–2021Full Member, Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology
2016–2020Member, CLIVAR Pacific Region Panel, WCRP
2014–2019Associate Member, The Korean Academy of Science and Technology
2012–Associate Editor, Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences
2012–Editorial Board Member, Regional Economies and Policies
2010–Advisory Board, KMA Climate Prediction
2005–Member, East Asia Climate (EAC)

Awards

2019.07Muenjae Distinguished Professor, POSTECH
2019Distinguished Young Professor, POSTECH
2018.12Presidential Award, Ministry of Science and ICT
2016.11Promising 30 Young Scientists in Korea, POSTECH–Dong-A Ilbo
2016.01Scientist of the Month (Minister's Prize), Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning
2015APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE)
2014Young Scientist Award, Korea Climate Change Society
2011–2014Lead Scientist, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
2012Grand Prize for Best Presentation, 2012 Fall Meeting of the Korea Climate Change Society
2012Best Paper, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
2011Best Paper, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute
2010Minister's Prize, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
2010Best Paper, 2010 Spring Meeting of the Korean Society of Oceanography
2010Young Atmospheric Scientist Award, Korean Meteorological Society
2009Best Paper, 2009 Spring Meeting of the Korean Society of Oceanography

Memberships

2011American Meteorological Society
2009Korea Climate Change Society
2005Korean Society of Oceanography
2004Korean Atmospheric Scientists in America
2003Korean Meteorological Society
2001American Geophysical Union

Selected Publications 5

Publications

255

Oh, J.-H., Kug, J.-S., An, S.-I., Jin, F.-F., McPhaden, M. J., Shin, J. (2024)

Emergent climate change patterns originating from deep ocean warming in climate mitigation scenarios

Nature Climate Change 14(3), 260-266
201

Kug, J.-S., Oh, J.-H., An, S.-I., Yeh, S.-W., Min, S.-K., Son, S.-W., Kam, J., Ham, Y.-G., Shin, J. (2022)

Hysteresis of the intertropical convergence zone to CO2 forcing

Nature Climate Change 12(1), 47-53
175

Park, S.-W., Kim, J.-S., Kug, J.-S. (2020)

The intensification of Arctic warming as a result of CO2 physiological forcing

Nature Communications 11(1), 2098
171

Kim, J.-S., Kug, J.-S., Jeong, S.-J., Park, H., Schaepman-Strub, G. (2020)

Extensive fires in southeastern Siberian permafrost linked to preceding Arctic Oscillation

Science Advances 6(2), eaax3308
149

Kim, J.-S., Kug, J.-S., Jeong, S.-J., Huntzinger, D. N., Michalak, A. M., Schwalm, C. R., Wei, Y., Schaefer, K. (2017)

Reduced North American terrestrial primary productivity linked to anomalous Arctic warming

Nature Geoscience 10(8), 572-576