Korean Youth Win Major Awards at World Science Fair for Developing AI Apps and Controlling Robots

Korean Middle and High Schoolers Win 3rd and 4th Place at ISEF
Music App for the Visually Impaired and Assistive Technology for Aphonia Draw Attention

Korean middle and high school students have been recognized for their research achievements in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and physics at the world's largest science competition for youth, receiving major awards.

On May 18, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the Korean student delegation won both grand and special prizes at the 2026 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which took place in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Group photo of the competition participants. Photo provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

ISEF is the world's largest international science and engineering competition for youth, attracting more than 2,000 participants from over 60 countries. This year’s event was held from May 9 to May 15, with grand and special prizes awarded across 22 categories in science and engineering.

The Ministry of Science and ICT supported the participation of a total of 24 students from 13 teams, including outstanding teams from the “Science Gifted Students’ Creative Research (R&E)” program for science high schools and gifted schools, as well as teams selected through the Korea Code Fair.

From Quadruped Robots to Music Apps for the Visually Impaired

In the field of robotics and intelligent machines, Jaewook Jung and Hanseon Cho, both third-year students at Korea Science Academy of KAIST, under the guidance of Professor Myung Hyun of KAIST, won 4th place in the grand prize for their research titled “Development and Control of Quadruped Robot Using Capstan Drive and Reinforcement Learning.”

In the field of physics and astronomy, Yeonho Lee and Yujin Choi, both third-year students at Seoul Science High School, guided by teacher Hyunjin Do, received a special prize (Sigma Xi) for their research on “Separation of Thin Oil Film by Mechanical Vibration of a Water Surface.”

Achievements in artificial intelligence and software also continued. In the technology and arts category, Jiho Lee, a ninth-grade student at North London Collegiate School Jeju, developed “Synchronome,” a mobile app to help visually impaired people practice music, winning 3rd place in the grand prize.

This app provides a service that compares and analyzes the music score and the actual performance, enabling visually impaired users to correct their own playing independently.

In the bioengineering category, Eunsuk Yang, a second-year student at Okgwa High School, developed “I can speak,” a service that recognizes the movements of the vocal organs of patients with aphonia and converts them into text, winning both the 4th place grand prize and two special prizes (Mawhiba and Midjourney) simultaneously.

Additionally, Taehyun Kim, a ninth-grade student at Chadwick International School Songdo, developed “Redi-up,” an AI-based personalized spatial design app, and received a special prize (Midjourney).

"Korean Youth Prove Digital Competency on the Global Stage"

The Ministry of Science and ICT explained that the participating students gained valuable experience competing and engaging with young people from around the world in science, technology, AI, and software fields through this competition.

Joonbae Lee, Director-General for Future Talent Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “Winning grand prizes at this international competition is proof of the scientific and digital capabilities of Korean youth on the global stage. We will continue to actively support talented and passionate young people so they can realize their dreams and showcase their abilities worldwide.”

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