Korea will host the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Seoul this August.
 
Seoul was chosen as the sole candidate city for this year’s congress by the International Mathematical Union’s executive committee in 2009. 

The meeting is expected to be the largest-ever congress with around five-thousand mathematicians from 100 countries participating.
 
Hosted by the International Mathematical Union, the congress assesses major mathematical achievements over the previous four years and awards remarkable mathematicians. It also serves as an occasion for mathematicians to discuss a variety of mathematical theories.
 
The inaugural congress was held in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1897. Seventeen countries hosted 26 congresses until 2010. Korea is the fourth Asian country to host the event.
 
The Fields Medal will be awarded to outstanding mathematicians at the congress. 

The Fields Medal is viewed as the greatest honor a mathematician can receive and is often referred to as the mathematicians’ Nobel Prize. The award was established in 1936 in line with the dying wish of Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields. The head of the host country presents the award to winners in the opening ceremony of the ICM every four years.