Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) marked its 50th anniversary by looking back on its achievements over the past half-century and presenting a new vision for the next 50 years.
ETRI held a ceremony for its 50th anniversary on the 1st at the main auditorium of Building 7 at its Daejeon headquarters, with key figures including Ryu Jemyung, 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Yang Seung-taek, former Minister of Information and Communication, and former heads of the institute in attendance. The event was organized to revisit ETRI's contributions that led the development of Korea's information and communications technology (ICT) industry over the past 50 years and to share directions for future progress.
The ceremony began with the screening of a 50th-anniversary video, followed by a commemorative address by President Bang Seungchan, video congratulations from lawmakers, the awarding of special merit prizes to former heads of the institute, employee commendations, and a publication ceremony for the 50-year history. In particular, a special segment marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of the domestically developed time-division exchange (TDX) added significance.
Founded in 1976, ETRI has led the development of core national ICT technologies such as TDX, memory semiconductors (DRAM), code division multiple access (CDMA) digital mobile communication systems, 3G·4G mobile communications, and artificial intelligence (AI), contributing to strengthening Korea's industrial competitiveness. It has also rolled out world-class technological achievements, including LTE mobile communications, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, and voice recognition AI, supporting Korea's rise as an ICT powerhouse.
ETRI said the industrial and economic ripple effects of its research achievements over the past 50 years amount to about 494 trillion won. Of this, 316 trillion won stemmed from representative core technologies, and 178 trillion won came from spillover effects into other industries. In particular, CDMA, DRAM, and TDX were evaluated as representative achievements that bolstered the competitiveness of the domestic ICT industry.
Research outputs have continued steadily. ETRI holds 1,312 international standard patents, and patent royalties over the past three years totaled 131.3 billion won. In addition, nine projects were selected last year for the Ministry of Science and ICT's "Top 100 Excellent National R&D Achievements," and it has continued its record of the most selections among institutes funded by grants for seven consecutive years.
This year's ETRI Researcher Award went to Kim Hyejin, principal researcher at the Artificial Intelligence Creative Research Laboratory. Kim developed a robot hand system by implementing the world's first 360-degree omnidirectional tactile sensor in the form of a robot finger module and achieved commercialization through technology transfer.
ETRI plans to focus on developing convergence technologies in AI core technologies, next-generation communication infrastructure, ultra-immersive spatial fusion technology, physical AI, and public and industry-specific ADX (AI transformation and digital transformation). It also plans to open an ICT promotion hall inside the "Seedwater Plaza," a base for startups and innovation, early next year to provide a space where the public can directly experience research results.
Bang Seungchan, president of ETRI, said, "If the past 50 years were a time to lay the foundation for national economic development, the next 50 years will be a time to create advanced research achievements that will be responsible for the future of Korea."