The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Media and Communications Commission held the "2026 Science and Information and Communications Day commemorative ceremony" on the afternoon of the 21st at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam District, Seoul, and honored contributors who advanced science, technology, and information and communications and contributed to national R&D performance evaluations.
The event was organized to mark the 59th Science Day (Apr. 21) and the 71st Information and Communications Day (Apr. 22). Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, First Vice Minister Gu Hyuk-chae of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Kwon Oh-nam, president of The Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST), and Noh Jun-hyung, president of the Korea Information and Broadcasting Communication Association, attended the event, and 148 of the 164 total awardees received their awards on site.
The awards were presented in three areas: promotion of science and technology, national R&D performance evaluation, and information and communications. In the promotion of science and technology area, 89 people received government awards; in the national R&D performance evaluation area, 21 people; and in the information and communications area, 54 people (including organizations).
The top grade in the promotion of science and technology area, the Order of Science and Technology Merit, Changjo Medal (first class), went to V. Narry Kim, a professor at Seoul National University, and Kim Jeong-sang, a distinguished professor at Duke University in the United States. Kim was recognized for achievements in life sciences research, including elucidating RNA regulatory mechanisms, developing RNA therapeutics, and mapping the coronavirus genome, and Kim was recognized for introducing, for the first time in the world, a scalable architecture for ion-trap-based quantum computers.
In addition, Kim Jang-woo, CEO of MangoBoost Korea, who contributed to the development of AI data-processing semiconductors, and Cha Mi-young, a professor at KAIST who has continued research to solve social problems using AI and big data, received the Order of Science and Technology Merit, Innovation Medal (second class).
Recipients of the Science and Technology Medal, the Presidential Commendation, and the Prime Minister's Commendation included researchers and industry figures in diverse fields such as commercialization of nano-convergence products, mobile security, fusion simulation, energy efficiency in electric buses, greenhouse gas reduction, and digital twin-based smart manufacturing.
In the national R&D performance evaluation area, a total of 21 people were selected for awards. Heo Won-do, a professor at KAIST, received the Order of Science and Technology Merit, Ungbi Medal, for expanding the prospects for treating brain diseases through molecular optogenetics research, and Kim Ho-kyung, a professor at Seoul National University, received the Dojak Medal for achievements in developing installation technologies for offshore floating infrastructure.
Kim Chan-su, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), who demonstrated technology enabling AI training while protecting personal information, and Kim Hye-jin, a principal researcher at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), who developed a 3D tactile sensor and achieved technology transfer in the field of robotic hands, received the Science and Technology Medal.
The Presidential Commendation was awarded to six people, including Choi Hyeong-jin, a professor at Seoul National University who first identified how the appetite-suppressing hormone (GLP-1) acts in the brain, contributing to the development of treatments for metabolic diseases such as obesity, and Lee Myung-hee, CEO of Sapien Semiconductors, who developed driver semiconductors for ultracompact displays for AI and Augmented Reality (AR). The Prime Minister's Commendation went to six individuals, including Park Seon-hong, head of evaluation innovation at the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST), who helped overhaul the government-funded research institute evaluation system to focus on representativeness and outcomes, and Choi Seung-mok, Deputy Minister at the Korea institute of Materials Science (KIMS), who improved hydrogen production efficiency and durability without precious metal catalysts, as well as two organizations, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB).
In the information and communications area, 54 people received orders, medals, and commendations. The Hwangjo Order of Service Merit went to Baek Eun-ok, a professor at Hanyang University who contributed to convergence research applying AI to the medical and bio fields, and the Dongtap Order of Industrial Service Merit went to Lee Jae-sik, CEO of Hangil Communication, who contributed to establishing maintenance and management systems for information and communications and expanding infrastructure.
The Industrial Service Medal went to Kim Ju-young, CEO of HyperAccel, for achievements in developing AI Semiconductors specialized for large language model inference, and the Order of Service Merit went to Park Seung-beom, a professor at Hoseo University, for strengthening regional science and technology and information and communications capabilities and cultivating talent. The Presidential and Prime Minister's Commendations included individuals and organizations in areas such as next-generation communications technologies, public safety at postal delivery sites, building AI training data, supporting commercialization of AI Semiconductors, and AI impact assessments in the public sector.