The Ho-Am Foundation on the 1st announced the winners of the 2026 Samsung Ho-Am Prize. This year's honorees were selected for building innovative achievements in science, engineering, medicine, the arts, and social service that contributed to the advancement of human civilization and the improvement of quality of life.
The winners are ▲ science prize, physics and mathematics institutional sector: Oh Seong-jin, 37, professor at UC Berkeley in the United States ▲ science prize, chemistry and life sciences institutional sector: Yoon Tae-sik, 51, professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States ▲ engineering prize: Kim Beom-man, 79, emeritus professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH ▲ medicine prize: Eva Hoffmann, 51, professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark ▲ arts prize: Cho Sumi, 63, soprano ▲ social service prize: Oh Dong-chan, 58, head of the medical department at the National Sorokdo Hospital, for a total of six people. Each winner in the institutional sector will receive a certificate, a medal, and 300 million won in prize money, and the awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on June 1.
This year's Ho-Am Prize winners were selected through a review committee of 46 top domestic and international experts, including Nobel laureates, a 45-member advisory committee composed entirely of overseas scholars, and on-site evaluations.
First, Dr. Oh Seong-jin is a mathematician who identified instabilities that appear inside cosmic black holes using nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations, opening a path to solving long-standing problems. He was also selected as an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2026.
Dr. Yoon Tae-sik developed an organic synthesis methodology that induces coupling reactions of complex organic molecules using only safe, low-energy visible light. It is evaluated as having overcome the limitations of conventional photochemistry, which relied on ultraviolet light, opening an era of sustainable, eco-friendly chemistry.
Dr. Kim Beom-man developed high-efficiency, high-linearity, high-power radio-frequency power amplifiers that are widely used in the design of transmitters for mobile phones and base stations. They are expected to play a key role in implementing the wireless transmitters required for future sixth-generation mobile communication systems.
Dr. Eva Hoffmann identified the mechanism of chromosome segregation errors that occur during meiosis in human oocytes, presenting new possibilities for developing treatments for infertility-related diseases.
Soprano Cho Sumi, for 40 years, based on a clear and transparent timbre and rich emotional expression, has elevated the stature of Korean vocal music on the world stage, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Vienna State Opera, earning praise as the "voice given by God."
Medical department head Oh Dong-chan, as a dentist, has treated people with Hansen's disease on Sorokdo in South Jeolla for more than 30 years. Through procedures such as a self-developed lip reconstruction surgery, Oh has treated hundreds of patients with Hansen's disease and, since 2005, has devoted efforts to medical volunteer work for patients with Hansen's disease overseas.