Lee Kwang-hyung (이광형), president of KAIST, has withdrawn his intention to resign.

Lee issued a statement on March 13, saying he was well aware that concerns had grown among members of the university and the public who care about KAIST due to delays in the presidential selection process. He said he took seriously the confusion and inconvenience experienced during the process.

KAIST's board of directors held a meeting on Feb. 26 to select the 18th KAIST president and conducted a vote, but the appointment was rejected because no candidate met the requirement of winning a majority of votes from attending directors.

Lee said he had previously expressed his intention to resign out of moral responsibility, but concerns about a leadership vacuum grew as discussions continued on legal revisions related to the presidential selection system. He stressed that he decided to accept the board's request to refrain from resigning, and to continue performing his duties until the next president is appointed, to maintain stability in university operations.

He added that he had thought deeply about how such uncertainty could become a burden on education and research sites and could affect KAIST's role in national science and technology policies, including the government's drive for an "AI top 3" strategy.

His decision to withdraw the resignation is viewed as a measure driven by concerns that a prolonged leadership vacancy would have a negative impact not only on KAIST but also on the science and technology community. According to the science and technology community, calls to dissuade him from resigning continued in academia and politics after he expressed his intention to step down.

Lee said KAIST has grown through the passion and dedication of its members, and he would fulfill his responsibility to the end so it can contribute to strengthening the country's science and technology competitiveness. He stressed he would do his best so that KAIST's innovation and challenges can continue with public trust.