The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Industrial Technology Association said on the 11th that they selected Yoon Hoon, project manager at KEPCO Engineering & Construction Company (KEPCO E&C), and Choi Jae-hoon, head of the research institute at Noanix Co., Ltd., as the May recipients of the Korea Engineer Award.
The Korea Engineer Award is a program that identifies and honors engineers who have contributed to technological innovation in industry. The winners receive the Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT award and 5 million won in prize money. The award has been operated since 2002 with funding from the Science and Technology Promotion Fund and the lottery fund, and announces winners every month.
Project manager Yoon Hoon was recognized for improving methods of assessing damage to nuclear power plant piping. Previously, many methods relied on manual work based on 2D drawings, but Yoon developed 3D-based software that can predict and assess, in real time, the likelihood of defects and other factors when inspection results are entered.
The technology can be used to reduce work time and improve assessment accuracy during nuclear plant maintenance. In practice, it achieved export results worth 2 billion won for Units 1–4 of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and reportedly secured more than 5 billion won in orders in Korea.
Project manager Yoon Hoon said, "I will continue to develop core technologies that strengthen the safety of nuclear facilities and help enhance the competitiveness of Korea's nuclear technology."
Research institute head Choi Jae-hoon was selected as a winner in recognition of achievements in developing medical device coating equipment and process technology. Using ultrasonic nozzle technology that can spray liquids in fine amounts, he implemented technology and equipment that uniformly coat biocompatible substances and other materials on the surfaces of medical stents.
A stent is a medical device in the form of a metal mesh that is inserted into blood vessels and other passages. When a metal material is implanted in the body, restenosis may occur due to an immune response, so technology that uniformly coats drugs or biocompatible substances is important. Choi's technology was evaluated as contributing to improved quality and stability of related medical devices such as drug-eluting stents.
Research institute head Choi Jae-hoon said, "Building on the technology and experience accumulated so far, I will work to strengthen the foundation of Korea's medical device industry and develop process technologies that can enhance global competitiveness."