KIPO Hosts 'Invention Day' Ceremony... LGD Team Leader Kim Inju Honored as 'Invention King'

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] At the ‘Invention Day’ ceremony, Kim In-joo, team leader of LG Display Co., Ltd., was selected as the ‘Inventor of the Year.’ Invention Day is a statutory commemorative day held annually, first designated in 1957 to promote the public’s awareness of invention.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on the 24th that it held the ‘55th Invention Day’ ceremony and awards ceremony for invention contributors at the 63 Convention Center in Seoul, together with the Korea Invention Promotion Association.

At the invention contributors awards ceremony, Team Leader Kim was recognized for his contribution to the core source technology and product development of the world’s first Rollable OLED TV, and was selected as the ‘Inventor of the Year.’

Team Leader Kim developed a rollable display device structure that can stably accommodate electrically connected components when the screen of the Rollable OLED TV is rolled up and folded. He is also reported to have contributed to the development of side sealing technology (panel edge finishing) applied to the world’s first Frameless TV panel edges and the development of OLED TV products of various sizes.

At the ceremony, KIPO and the Korea Invention Promotion Association awarded the ‘Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit’ to Jin Gyo-won, president of SK Hynix Inc.; the ‘Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit’ to Roh Young-baek, chairman of Wooju Electronics Co., Ltd., and Hwang Yoo-sang, fellow of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; and the ‘Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit’ to Kim Jin-seok, CEO of Hurum Co., Ltd., and Ahn Soon-hyun, CEO of Rexgen Co., Ltd. Including these recipients, a total of 79 inventors were honored that day.

This year’s Invention Day ceremony featured an invention exhibition hall alongside the awards ceremony, adding visual interest to the event. Exhibits included the Rollable OLED TV, ultra-precision connectors for vehicles and smartphones, electric vehicle charging communication module (EVCC) connectors, age-transformable 3D montage, and 3D facial recognition technology, attracting visitors’ attention.

Additionally, a separately prepared special exhibition hall displayed K-quarantine inventions such as K-Walkthrough and glove boxes, COVID-19 diagnostic kits, and diagnostic reagents, drawing significant interest.

Separately, KIPO and the Korea Invention Promotion Association minimized the number of attendees at the ceremony and ensured safety through pre-disinfection and quarantine measures, temperature checks and disinfection of attendees, maintaining personal distancing, and operating a designated seating system.

Park Won-joo, commissioner of KIPO, stated, “KIPO will continue to strive to turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity through the creative DNA of the people and to spread the culture of invention in the post-COVID-19 era.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.