History of the KPPY

In 2005 Mitsugu Hirasaka, of PNU, and Jack Koolen of Postech, started the PNU-Postech Algebraic Combinatorics Seminar. They started it to give their graduate students access to frequent talk, in algebraic combinatorics and related areas, by international speakers, and the opportunity to give talks to a small friendly audience.

In 2009 they invited Tommy Jensen and Mark Siggers, both new to KNU, to join them as organisers, and the seminar became the KPP seminar. Though the issue of whether Mitsugu had better jokes or Tommy did was hotly contested, the friendly nature of the seminar continued.

In 2011 Sejeong Bang of Yeungnam joined as an organiser, and that made things perfect. Each of the organisers only had to find one speaker per seminar.

Several of the organisers have moved on, and Alexander Gavrilyuk helped organise for many years. Jongyook Park joined as an organiser in 2023.

People joke that we should now call it the KY, but that is stupid! The influence that Mitsugu and Jack had on the combinatorics community in the Yeungnam region, and in Korea, persists. And so the seminar remains the KPPY.