The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Industrial Technology Association said on the 10th that they selected Choi Seok-ho, principal researcher at LG Electronics, and Choi Yun-hwa, CEO of JM Zeco, as the August winners of this year's Korea Engineer Award.
The Korea Engineer Award is a government honor that recognizes engineers who contribute to technological innovation in industry, and winners receive the Deputy Prime Minister's Award (Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT Award) and a 5 million won prize.
Principal researcher Choi Seok-ho developed technology that boosts fan performance and energy efficiency in HVAC appliances such as air conditioners and air purifiers. By applying the tubercle ridges of a humpback whale's fin and the ribbed structure of a scallop shell to the fan surface, the technology reduced flow "separation," in which airflow detaches from the fan, and "slip," in which it leaks in the rotational direction. This increased maximum airflow by 20% and cut power consumption by 20%.
Choi said, "Based on innovative flow technologies, I will continue to enhance the competitiveness of various HVAC products and do my best to expand the use of domestic products in the emerging data center cooling market."
CEO Choi Yun-hwa was recognized for developing and commercializing power semiconductor packaging technology that connects semiconductor chips and substrates with copper conductors. Power semiconductors control high voltage and high current, making thermal management crucial; the technology lowered electrical resistance by 60% and increased thermal conductivity by 50% compared with existing products.
Choi said, "Based on our research capabilities, we have been able to grow into a leading company in power semiconductors," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our competitiveness in the global market by establishing a localized power semiconductor supply chain."