Kim Soon-hwan (90), chairman of Academy Science, who created the 'plastic model' that was once the envy of elementary school students, passed away from illness at his home in Gangnam, Seoul, around 8 p.m. on the 1st, his family reported on the 2nd.
Born in Seoul, the deceased graduated from Seoul Normal School and worked as a teacher at a public elementary school. On September 1, 1969, he quit his teaching career and established a company in the yard of his home in Donam-dong, Seoul. He later registered the corporate entity with a capital of 5 million won and named it 'Academy Science Publishing Company.'
In the early days, the deceased created models of submarines, tanks, and ships based on foreign comic books. He then began designing based on blueprints and precision photographs. Among the deceased's plastic model products, the best-selling item was 'Titanic,' which sold 500,000 units.
Academy Science is now run by his son, Kim Myung-kwan (55), after the second president, Kim Soon-cheol, and the third president, Gu Je-hwan. The headquarters moved to Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, through Samsun-kyo in Seoul.
Academy Science was designated as a 'world-class product manufacturing company' by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy in 2010. It has also received the 'Model of the Year Award' at the International Toy Fair held annually in Nuremberg, Germany, since 1990.