IBS physicist becomes first Korea-based researcher named to Physical Review Letters editorial board

A physicist affiliated with a South Korean research institution has for the first time been named to the editorial board of Physical Review Letters, widely regarded as the world's most prestigious physics journal.

The Institute for Basic Science said Yeom Han-woong, director of its Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems and a professor in the physics department at Pohang University of Science and Technology, has been appointed as a distinguished editorial board member of Physical Review Letters (PRL).

Published by the American Physical Society since 1958, PRL is a globally authoritative journal that selectively publishes research of high academic significance, innovation and broad impact across all fields of physics.

Distinguished editorial board members are selected from researchers whose work and academic standing have earned international recognition, following review by the editorial team and relevant divisions of the American Physical Society. About 100 leading scholars from countries including the United States, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, France and Japan currently serve on the board.

Korean-American scientists Jungseek Hwang, a professor at Rutgers University, and Kim Kwang-jae, a researcher at Argonne National Laboratory, have previously served on the board as members of US academic institutions. Yeom is the first physicist based at a domestic Korean university or research institution to be appointed.

Beginning in October, Yeom will serve a three-year term evaluating and reviewing papers in condensed matter physics. He will provide expert opinions on key papers and editorial policy, select peer reviewers, oversee the review process and adjudicate author appeals.

A leading scholar in nanophysics and surface physics, Yeom has led research into quantum material properties including low-dimensional electronic systems at the atomic scale, topological electronic states and excitonic condensates. He was named the American Physical Society's outstanding referee in 2010 and served on the board of the Physical Society of Japan from 2024 to 2025.

"This is a result that goes beyond personal honor — it reflects the research capabilities and international standing of Korean physics," Yeom said. "I will do my utmost to ensure that important research achievements in the global physics community are evaluated fairly and rigorously."