An International Korean-Japanese-Russian-Kazakhstan Geotechnical Seminar on geodisaster problems was held on the 20th of August 2009, at Incheon Research Disaster Prevention Center under the auspices of the Korean Geotechnical Society and the University of Incheon. There were about 100 participants, from the Korean Geotechnical Society, geotechnical companies, and Ph.D. students.

Keynote lectures were delivered by Professor Tadatsugu Tanaka (University of Tokyo, Japan) on “Cyclic Plasticity of Geomaterials and its Application to Disaster Problems”, Professor Rashid Mangushyev (Head of the Department of Engineering, Saint Petersburg State Architectural and Civil Engineering University, Russia) on “Influence of changes of the level of underground water on deformations of buildings and constructions”, Professor Askar Zhusupbekov “Knowledge of Earthquake Engineering on Examples of Different Regions in World” (Director of Geotechnical Institute, Eurasian National University, President of Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society, Astana, Kazakhstan), Professor Eun Chul Shin, (Head of Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Incheon, Korea, and Director of Incheon Disaster Prevention Research Center) on “Application of Geosynthetics in Water Front Project Related with Problems of Disaster Prevention”.

The following day on the 21st August 2009, a special meeting was held to sign an Agreement of Cooperation between the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society and the Korean Geotechnical Society.