The Asian Palaeontological Association (APA) held two significant events during IGC2024 in Busan, South Korea, in August 2024: the APA Open Session and the APA Council Symposium. These events gathered leading paleontologists and researchers from across Asia to discuss recent advancements and organizational matters.

On August 26, 2024, the APA Council Symposium served as an informal meeting for the association's leadership. Chaired by Prof. Kazuyoshi Endo, the meeting addressed several key issues. The council confirmed its 23 members and discussed initiatives to increase collaboration among APA members, including a proposal to waive participation fees for overseas members attending domestic meetings. The council also deliberated on establishing new positions to support the APA's Secretary General and enhancing the membership system by introducing individual and institutional memberships to bolster financial stability and member engagement. The event concluded with discussions on the upcoming APA Congress (APC3), scheduled for March 2027 in Bangkok.

APA Council Symposium group photo

APA Council Symposium spokesman

The APA Open Session, held on August 30, 2024, at Bexco in Busan, was organized by scholars Prof. Min Huh, Prof. Yongdong Wang. The session, which featured 19 presentations, focused on the latest paleontological discoveries in Asia. Key topics included the discovery of conifer wood from the Middle Jurassic of China, vertebrate evolution in the Tibetan Plateau, and new fossil findings from South Korea, India, Japan and Kazakhstan. This open session provided a platform for researchers to share groundbreaking work on Asian fossils and paleontology research.

APA Open Session group photo

APA Open Session spokesman

These events reflect APA's commitment to advancing paleontological research and fostering collaboration across Asia.