By Yun Suh-young
The 12th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME) will kick off a week-long run at COEX, southern Seoul, today.
The congress is the biggest in the field of mathematical education and is held every four years.
About 4,000 foreign and local math educators from over 100 countries will participate this year, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Sunday.
The major participants are from the United States with 312, followed by 296 from China, 189 from Japan and 105 from Thailand. Participants will discuss ways to enhance the professionalism of math educators.
Since its establishment in 1969 in Lyon, France, the congress has been held in the United States, Great Britain, Germany and other developed nations. Korea is the second Asian country to hold the event after Japan in 2000.
At the congress, about 1,400 research papers, the most in the history of the event, will be presented. Also, math education in East Asia, including that of North Korea, will be introduced.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho will attend the opening ceremony today along with William Barton, president of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and representatives of other math education organizations.
During the ceremony, exemplary math educators will be awarded with the Felix Klein and the Hans Freudenthal medals.