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Ki Hyoung Ko

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology · Mathematics

About the Lab

Professor Ki Hyoung Ko's research lab specializes in low-dimensional topology and geometric group theory, with a focus on braid groups, link invariants, and their applications in topology and cryptography. The lab investigates algebraic structures such as the braid group, framed braid groups, and Seifert matrices to address fundamental problems in knot theory, including the word and conjugacy problems. A key direction involves leveraging non-abelian groups with hard conjugacy problems to develop secure digital signature schemes, bridging pure topology with applied cryptography. The lab also explores cobordism classes of links and their algebraic invariants, aiming to clarify relationships between different link equivalence relations through matrix and surgery obstruction theories.

braid groupsknot theorycryptographySeifert matriceslink cobordism

Research Overview

Papers
47
Total Citations
1,520
Papers (5y)
6
Primary Field
Mathematics

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
6total
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Citations per year (5y)
69total
20112012201320142015

Selected Papers

15
1
Book Chapter|414 citations·2000
New Public-Key Cryptosystem Using Braid Groups
Ki Hyoung Ko, Sangjin Lee, Jung Hee Cheon, Jae Woo Han, Ju-Sung Kang, Choon‐Sik Park
SJR Q2Lecture notes in computer scienceOA
Geometry and TopologyMathematics
2
Article|386 citations·1998
A New Approach to the Word and Conjugacy Problems in the Braid Groups
Joan S. Birman, Ki Hyoung Ko, Sangjin Lee
SJR Q1Advances in MathematicsOA

A new presentation of then-string braid groupBnis studied. Using it, a new solution to the word problem inBnis obtained which retains most of the desirable features of the Garside–Thurston solution, and at the same time makes possible certain computational improvements. We also give a related solution to the conjugacy problem, but the improvements in its complexity are not clear at this writing.

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
3
Preprint|69 citations·2002
New Signature Scheme Using Conjugacy Problem.
Ki Hyoung Ko, Dooho Choi, Mi Sung Cho, Jang-Won Lee
IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive

We propose a new digital signature scheme based on a non-commutative group where the conjugacy search problem is hard and the conjugacy decision problem is feasible. We implement our signature scheme in the braid groups and prove that an existential forgery of the implementation under no message attack gives a solution to a variation of conjugacy search problem. Then we discuss performance of our scheme under suggested parameters.

Artificial IntelligenceComputer Science
4
Article|62 citations·1991
A combinatorial matrix in 3-manifold theory
Ki Hyoung Ko, Lawrence Smolinsky
SJR Q1Pacific Journal of MathematicsOA

In this paper we study a combinatorial matrix considered by W. B.

Discrete Mathematics and CombinatoricsMathematics
5
Article|51 citations·1987
Seifert Matrices and Boundary Link Cobordisms
Ki Hyoung Ko
SJR Q1Transactions of the American Mathematical Society

To an m-component boundary link of odd dimension, a matrix is associated by taking the Seifert pairing on a Seifert surface of the link.An algebraic description of the set of boundary link cobordism classes of boundary links is obtained by using this matrix invariant.

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
6
Article|33 citations·2012
Characteristics of Graph Braid Groups
Ki Hyoung Ko, Hyo Won Park
SJR Q2Discrete & Computational GeometryOA
Computational Theory and MathematicsComputer Science
7
Article|33 citations·1989
A Seifert-matrix interpretation of Cappell and Shaneson's approach to link cobordisms
Ki Hyoung Ko
SJR Q1Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society

We classified the set of F m -cobordism classes of F m -links by their Seifert matrices in [ 5 ]. On the other hand Cappell and Shaneson identified them with essentially a quotient group of their homology surgery obstruction group [ 2 ]. In this paper, we will find a description of their surgery obstruction in terms of a Seifert matrix. In relation to Ledimet's recent results [ 7 ], we hope this might provide some clue to whether F m -cobordism or boundary cobordism is stronger than ordinary lin

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
8
Article|30 citations·1992
The Framed Braid Group and 3-Manifolds
Ki Hyoung Ko, Lawrence Smolinsky
SJR Q1Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society

Abstract. The framed braid group on n strands is defined to be a semidirectproduct of the braid group B„ and Z . Framed braids represent 3-manifoldsin a manner analogous to the representation of links by braids. Consider twoframed braids equivalent if they represent homeomorphic 3-manifolds. Themain result of this paper is a Markov type theorem giving moves that generatethis equivalence relation. In this paper the group of framed braids $n is introduced. This group issimilar to the braid group a

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
9
Article|25 citations·1987
Seifert matrices and boundary link cobordisms
Ki Hyoung Ko
SJR Q1Transactions of the American Mathematical SocietyOA

To an <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="m"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>m</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">m</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> -component boundary link of odd dimension, a matrix is associated by taking the Seifert pairing on a Seifert surface of the link. An algebraic description of the set of boundary link cobordism classes of boundary links is obtained by

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
10
Article|23 citations·2007
Towards generating secure keys for braid cryptography
Ki Hyoung Ko, Jang-Won Lee, Tony Thomas
SJR Q1Designs Codes and Cryptography
Geometry and TopologyMathematics
11
Article|22 citations·1992
The framed braid group and 3-manifolds
Ki Hyoung Ko, Lawrence Smolinsky
SJR Q1Proceedings of the American Mathematical SocietyOA

The framed braid group on <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> strands is defined to be a semidirect product of the braid group <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper B Subscript n"> <mml:semantics> <

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
12
Article|16 citations·1997
Band-generator presentation for the 4-braid group
Eun Sook Kang, Ki Hyoung Ko, Sangjin Lee
SJR Q2Topology and its Applications
Geometry and TopologyMathematics
13
Article|10 citations·1989
Triple points of immersed surfaces in three dimensional manifolds
Ki Hyoung Ko, J.Scott Carter
SJR Q2Topology and its Applications
Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided DesignComputer Science
14
Article|7 citations·1997
Genera of some closed 4-braids
Ki Hyoung Ko, Sangjin Lee
SJR Q2Topology and its ApplicationsOA

We obtain the genera of knots or links that are the closures of certain types of 4-braids. These 4-braids are written as positive words in the band-generator presentation of the 4-braid group considered by E.S. Kang et al. in this volume, and their closures naturally bound surfaces that consist of four disks and half-twisted bands connecting any two disks. In fact we show that these spanning surfaces have the minimal genera.

Geometry and TopologyMathematics
15
Preprint|4 citations·2006
A polynomial-time solution to the reducibility problem
Ki Hyoung Ko, Jang-Won Lee
ArXiv.orgOA

We propose an algorithm for deciding whether a given braid is pseudo-Anosov, reducible, or periodic. The algorithm is based on Garside's weighted decomposition and is polynomial-time in the word-length of an input braid. Moreover, a reduction system of circles can be found completely if the input is a certain type of reducible braids.

Geometry and TopologyMathematics

Research Areas

Geometry and TopologyComputational Theory and MathematicsMathematical PhysicsArtificial IntelligenceDiscrete Mathematics and CombinatoricsComputer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

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