Dear Participants:

The 16th Asia-Pacific Conference on Fracture and Strength 2020 (KICS Winter Conference 2022) will be held in Jeju Island, Korea on November 3-7, 2020. This conference follows the series of the previous ones at Sendai, Japan 1984; Seoul, Korea 1987; Yokohama, Japan 1989; Beijing, China 1991; Tsuchiura, Japan 1993; Gyeongju, Korea 1996; Xian, China 1999; Sendai, Japan 2001; Jeju Island, Korea 2004; Sanya, China 2006; Yokohama, Japan 2009; Busan, Korea 2012; Sydney, Australia 2014; Toyama, Japan 2016; Xian, China 2018.

Fracture and strength of materials and structures are critical issues in all engineering fields such as manufacturing, electronics, power generation, transportation, bioengineering, nanotechnology and military sector. KICS Winter Conference 2022 in Jeju will be a dialogue between the future and current generations about "Past, Present and Future of Fracture and Strength of Materials and Structures". I hope that the accumulated know-how of the current generation will be passed on to the next generation, and the current generation will be inspired by the generations to follow.

On behalf of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME), I cordially invite you to beautiful Jeju containing the volcanic island and lava tubes as a natural world heritage site. This international conference will provide an invaluable opportunity to expand our knowledge and understanding on fracture and strength, and to promote the friendships of our research communities.

Sincerely,

Yoon-Suk Chang

Chairman, Organizing Committee of KICS Winter Conference 2022
Professor, Kyung Hee University