Kim Cheolhwan and So Namho Receive Korea Engineer Award for August 2025

Kim Cheolhwan, Research Fellow at LG Electronics, Develops World's First Bottom-Compression Scroll Compressor
So Namho, Director at Atech Mobility, Develops Contactless Transit Fare Payment Technology

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Industrial Technology Association announced on August 11, 2025 that Kim Cheolhwan, Research Fellow at LG Electronics, and So Namho, Director at Atech Mobility, have been selected as the recipients of the Korea Engineer Award for August 2025.

The Korea Engineer Award is presented each month to one engineer from a large corporation and one from a small or medium-sized enterprise. Recipients receive a ministerial commendation from the Ministry of Science and ICT and a prize of 5 million won.

Kim Cheolhwan, Research Fellow at LG Electronics (left), and Son Namho, Director at Atech Mobility. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

Kim Cheolhwan, Research Fellow at LG Electronics, was recognized for developing the world’s first bottom-compression scroll compressor. He was also credited with commercializing a high-performance heat pump using eco-friendly refrigerants, thereby strengthening the nation’s technological competitiveness in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector.

Kim combined the high efficiency and low noise of traditional scroll compressors with the simple structure of rotary compressors, achieving both high efficiency and low cost. He also developed a heating compressor using eco-friendly natural refrigerant (propane), enabling the supply of boiler-level hot water (70°C) even in extreme cold (-30°C).

Kim stated, “I will continue to develop world-class eco-friendly technologies so that our country can lead the global refrigeration and air conditioning industry.”

So Namho, Director at Atech Mobility, was recognized for developing tagless gate (contactless transit fare payment) technology and for establishing automated station operation systems and unmanned bus ticketing systems, thereby contributing to the advancement and innovation of public transportation systems.

During rush hours, fare payment (contact with transit cards) by passengers can cause delays and increase the risk of safety accidents. Additionally, passengers with mobility challenges or those carrying luggage experience inconvenience when purchasing tickets and using gates for fare payment.

So developed a contactless transit fare payment technology using deep learning-based low-power Bluetooth (BLE) communication. This technology ensures that the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values from passengers’ smartphones are transmitted accurately, even in confined spaces. He also contributed to improving citizen convenience by establishing an integrated transfer system for the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, outside the Seoul metropolitan area, thus enhancing transportation services.

So stated, “I was able to receive this award thanks to my colleagues, my always supportive family, and the company that trusted me. I hope to continue developing good software that benefits society.”

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