Honam University Department of Culinary Arts Produces 5 Recipients of the 'Korea Talent Award'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] The Department of Food Service and Culinary Arts at Honam University (Department Head Kim Young-gyun) announced on the 31st that it has produced its fifth recipient of the ‘Korea Talent Award,’ selected by the Ministry of Education, marking the first time a single department at a domestic university has achieved this.

The ‘Korea Talent Award’ is the most prestigious award program promoted by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity. It aims to discover talents who create new value with creativity and passion, show consideration for others, and contribute to community development, supporting them to grow as future pillars of the nation.

Alumnus Park Sung-gon (27) from the Department of Food Service and Culinary Arts was selected as the youth category winner at the ‘2021 Korea Talent Award’ ceremony held on December 28 at the Government Sejong Convention Center. He received the Minister of Education’s Commendation and a prize of 2 million KRW for his outstanding achievements in various culinary competitions.

With this, the Department of Food Service and Culinary Arts has established itself as a prestigious department by producing five ‘Korea Talent Award’ recipients: Jung Nam in 2009, Kim Hyung-chun in 2012, Park Hyung-soo in 2013, Han Min-guk in 2016, and now Park Sung-gon.

Park served as the preparation committee chair for the social connection project ‘Bogam (寶鑑) - Graduation Exhibition,’ supported by the University Innovation Headquarters (Head Song Chang-soo), contributing to the development of food culture and receiving a commendation from National Assemblyman Yoon Young-duk (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Dongnam-gap). During his studies, he demonstrated exceptional talent in various culinary competitions and contests, including ▲2019 Naenara Travel Expo Regional Ambassador ▲2019 Yangdong Market Specialized Product IDEA Contest Grand Prize ▲2019 MediCheck Healthy Cooking Contest Grand Prize ▲2019 Lee Kum Kee Cooking Contest Finalist Runner-up ▲2019 Golden Cooking Competition Excellence Award ▲2020 On-site Training CROSS PLUS Essay Contest Excellence Award.

Additionally, Park, known for his warm personality, conducted cooking programs for low-income children and youth in protective facilities from 2018 to 2020. He recently secured employment at the food specialist company ‘Ottogi.’

Park said, “I nurtured my dreams under the passionate guidance of my professors, and through continuous challenges and a spirit of service, I was able to achieve good results. I will work even harder in my career to enhance the honor of Honam University.”

Kim Young-gyun, head of the Department of Food Service and Culinary Arts, stated, “Despite the difficulties caused by COVID-19, we successfully held the first-ever On-Off Line graduation exhibition in Korea. The systematic talent development program based on a curriculum harmonizing theory and practice, along with various extracurricular activities and practical field programs, has been the driving force behind producing five Korea Talent Award recipients. Building on this achievement, we will strive to establish Honam University’s Department of Food Service and Culinary Arts as a cradle for nurturing global talents.”

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