Professor Moonjung Park of POSTECH and Pohang Myeongdo School among POSCO Cheongam Award Recipients

POSCO Cheongam Foundation announced on the 22nd that this year’s POSCO Cheongam Award recipients are Professor Moonjung Park of the Department of Chemistry at POSTECH for the Science Award, Pohang Myeongdo School for the Education Award, Lee Cheolyong, CEO of the nonprofit organization CAMP, and Choo Hyein, Director of Salim Medical Welfare Social Cooperative Salim Clinic (joint recipients) for the Service Award, and Kim Jindong, CEO of Lake Materials, for the Technology Award.

Professor Moonjung Park and CEO Jindong Kim. Photo by POSCO Cheongam Foundation

The POSCO Cheongam Award was established in 2006 to commemorate the achievements of Cheongam Park Taejoon, who laid the foundation for Korea’s industrialization and modernization through steel self-reliance, and to contribute to national development by spreading public interest and participation in POSCO’s founding principles of respect for creativity, valuing talent, and spirit of service.

Professor Moonjung Park pioneered a new academic field called “polymer end-group chemistry” and presented a new paradigm for polymer synthesis and control technologies essential to advanced industries. Professor Park’s research, which was the first in the world to demonstrate that the polymer end groups govern the thermodynamic properties and physical characteristics of polymers, was published in the international journal Science in January last year. This research has attracted significant global academic attention as it can lead to the development of various nanotechnologies, energy systems, and wearable medical devices that will form the foundation of future society.

Pohang Myeongdo School, established in 1989, has developed and operated curricula tailored to special education for students with disabilities. In 2013, it founded the nation’s first orchestra composed of students with developmental disabilities to nurture their musical talents and abilities. The school is also leading digital education such as AI and has achieved excellent results in digital competitions.

CEO Choo Hye-in and CEO Lee Cheol-yong. Provided by POSCO Cheongam Foundation

Service Award joint recipient Lee Cheolyong is a social activist who has worked for 25 years supporting socially vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, foreign workers, and the poor. Since 2007, he has lived with residents in impoverished areas of the Philippines, supporting their self-reliant growth. Joint recipient Choo Hyein is a medical professional who opened Salim Medical Welfare Social Cooperative Salim Clinic in 2012 to address inequality and exclusion issues in medical settings and to ensure that everyone can receive better medical services.

Technology Award recipient Kim Jindong, a researcher who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from KAIST, has devoted himself to continuous research and development since founding his company in 2010. He succeeded in domestic production of the ultra-high-purity compound TMA (trimethylaluminum), which was previously entirely imported, and independently developed plant design technology for manufacturing organometallic compounds. Recently, he has attracted attention by successfully developing mass production equipment for lithium sulfide, a core material of all-solid-state batteries.

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