Eight New Science and Technology Contributors Selected, Including First Female Agricultural Science PhD Professor Kim Samsun

Ministry of Science and ICT Designates a Total of 77 People by This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 14th that it will newly designate eight individuals as 2021 Science and Technology Merit Awardees in recognition of their dedication to the development of science and technology in the Republic of Korea.

Since 2017, the government has honored scientists and technologists who have made decisive contributions to the advancement of science and technology by designating them as merit awardees. A total of 77 individuals have been designated to date.

This year, eight new awardees were selected, including the late Myung Hyo-cheol, former President of the Institute for Basic Science. The late President Myung was an outstanding mathematician who contributed to establishing the mathematical theory on the generalization of quantum mechanics and gained international recognition by solving the unresolved 'Albert problem' together with American physicist Professor Okubo.

The late Lee Ik-chun, Professor Emeritus at Inha University, was also selected as a merit awardee. He was a chemist who laid the foundation of physical chemistry in Korea, proposed the concept of cross-interaction constants, established the theory for analyzing the transition state structures of organic reactions, and led the internationalization of domestic chemical research through the founding of an international academic journal.

The late Kim Jeong-ryong, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, and Park Sang-dae, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University, were also newly designated. The late Professor Kim was a pioneer in liver disease research who developed the hepatitis B vaccine. He isolated the hepatitis B virus from human serum and conducted preventive vaccine research, contributing to the decline in hepatitis B prevalence and public health through the development of the domestically produced hepatitis B vaccine ‘Hepabox.’ Professor Park was a life scientist who led biotechnology research in Korea and established the foundation for basic research. He contributed to the establishment of the International Vaccine Institute in Korea, the founding of the Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology, and the globalization of molecular and cellular biology research in Korea.

The late Byun Jeung-nam, Professor Emeritus at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Lee Hyun-soon, Advisor to Doosan Group, were honored this year for their contributions in the engineering field. The late Professor Byun was a pioneer in robotics research in Korea, recognized as an outstanding leader in control engineering through the development of the country’s first industrial robot and research on intelligent robots, including optimal control theory, intelligent robot control, and fuzzy theory. Advisor Lee is a leading automotive engineer in Korea who developed vehicle engines and transmissions, elevating Korea’s engine technology to an advanced level and leading the foundation for Korea’s status as a major automobile manufacturing country.

The late Kim Sam-soon, Professor Emeritus at Seoul Women’s University, was the first female agricultural science Ph.D. in Korea who contributed to the development of mycology. She published the Korean Mushroom Guidebook and presented outstanding research achievements such as the artificial cultivation method of oyster mushrooms. Despite difficult circumstances, she devoted herself to women’s higher education and the institutionalization of science through the establishment of research institutes. Former Minister of Science and Technology Jeong Geun-mo was an expert in nuclear power who contributed to science and technology administration. He played a key role in the independence of Korean nuclear power technology, supported excellent research centers such as SRC and ERC, promoted large-scale mid- to long-term research and development projects including G7, and acted as a midwife in establishing domestic scientific institutions such as KAIST and the Institute for Basic Science.

The government provides Science and Technology Merit Awardees with certificates in the name of the President, induction into the Hall of Fame, and support for science and technology lectures. Starting from the 16th, the government will enact and promulgate the ‘Regulations on the Treatment of Science and Technology Merit Awardees’ as a Presidential Decree, providing encouragement in the President’s name on legal anniversaries and holidays. It also established the basis for commemorative projects for deceased awardees.

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