[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] SamsungElectronics(005930) Vice President Lee Jin-yeop, SK hynix(000660) Vice President Jang Ji-eun, and HK CO., LTD. Vice President Song Geun-seok received the Order of Science and Technology, the highest honor at the “2026 Technology Developers’ Day” ceremony.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 7th that it held a commemorative ceremony for “2026 Technology Developers’ Day” at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul and honored corporate researchers and companies that have contributed to national industrial development and the strengthening of technological competitiveness.

This year’s event was the first to be held since “Technology Developers’ Day” was elevated to a statutory national commemorative day. Key figures from industry, academia, and research institutions—including Prime Minister Han Seong-suk; Song Gi-heon, Chair of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information, and Broadcasting Committee; Bae Gyeong-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT; Koo Hyuk-chae, Vice Minister of Science and ICT; and Koo Ja-kyun, President of the Korea Industrial Technology Promotion Association—attended to commend the hard work of 450,000 technology developers.

A total of 101 awards were presented at the ceremony, including 55 government awards, 35 Deputy Prime Minister’s Commendations from the Ministry of Science and ICT, and 11 Outstanding Researcher Awards. The government awards consisted of 3 Orders of Merit, 4 Medals of Merit, 20 Presidential Commendations, and 28 Prime Minister’s Commendations.

SamsungElectronics’ Lee Jin-yeop Achieves World’s First Mass Production of 1Gb NAND… SK hynix’s Jang Ji-eun Develops AI Memory

The Medal of Science and Technology Innovation (2nd Class) was awarded to Lee Jin-yeop

,

Executive Vice President of SamsungElectronics.

Vice President Lee was recognized for his contributions to leading the memory market and securing product competitiveness through achievements such as the world’s first mass production of 1Gb NAND flash memory and the development of vertically stacked NAND flash memory (V-NAND).

The Science and Technology Soaring Award (3rd Class) was presented to Song Geun-seok, Vice President of HK CO., LTD., and Jang Ji-eun, Vice President of SK hynix.

Vice President Song led the development of a new drug that addressed the limitations of existing gastrointestinal disease treatments—namely, the requirement to take them before meals and their delayed onset of action—thereby reducing dependence on imported pharmaceuticals and contributing to the company’s expansion into overseas markets.

Vice President Jang led the development of ultra-high-capacity server DRAM and compact mobile memory operating at low power and high bandwidth, thereby contributing to strengthening competitiveness in the memory market for AI servers and the mobile sector.

From KF-21 Flight Control to Eco-Friendly Ships… Four Recipients

of

the

Science and Technology

Medal

The Science and Technology Medal was awarded to

four individuals

: Ko Ki-ok, Team Leader of Flight Control Laws at KOREA AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES; Ryu Jin-ho, Research Fellow at POSCO; Park Woo-jin, Head of the Global Product Development Research Group at LS Electric; and Lee Ho-ki, Head of the Eco-Friendly Research Center at SamsungHeavyIndustries.

Team Leader Ko contributed to Korea’s self-reliance in fighter jet development by independently developing flight control laws for the FA-50 light attack aircraft and the KF-21 Korean fighter jet.

Research Fellow Ryu led the development of decarbonization bridge technology—which gradually reduces carbon emissions by utilizing existing blast furnace facilities—and the production technology for shaped coal, which converts low-grade raw materials into fuel for high-value-added steel production.

Director Park led the development of Korea’s first DC 1,000-volt-class and the world’s first DC 1,500-volt-class air-break switches and air-switch products, contributing to the high-voltage capabilities and commercialization of eco-friendly DC power equipment.

Center Director Lee independently developed and commercialized fuel supply systems for eco-friendly alternative-fuel-powered vessels and developed technologies to reduce carbon emissions from ships, thereby enhancing the technological competitiveness of the domestic shipbuilding and marine industries and contributing to the acquisition of orders for eco-friendly vessels.

20 Presidential Commendations… Achievements Including the Localization of Semiconductor Measurement Equipment

A total of 20 Presidential Commendations were awarded, including 13 to individuals and 7 to organizations.

In the individual category, 13 people were selected, including Ahn Byung-woon, Director of the Park Systems Corp. Research Institute.

Director Ahn contributed to the localization of semiconductor measurement equipment and the strengthening of industrial competitiveness by developing and commercializing an atomic force microscope-based measurement and inspection system capable of non-destructively measuring the microstructure of semiconductor manufacturing processes.

In the organizational category, seven companies, including CNOne, received awards. CNOne contributed to securing domestically produced equipment for semiconductor processes by developing ultra-high-frequency plasma atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment capable of forming high-quality atomic layer deposition thin films even at low temperatures.

2

8 Prime Minister’s Commendations… Carbon Composite Materials and AI Financial Device Technologies Draw Attention

A total of 28

Prime Minister’s Commendations

were awarded, including 20 to individuals and 8 to organizations.

In the individual category, 20 people received the award, including Heo Seon-ah, CEO of #HyperNeuroTech LTD.

CEO Heo contributed to the localization of lightweight composite materials by developing carbon composite frames for use in electric vehicles and railways and promoting the development of smart mobility.

In the group category, eight companies were selected, including ATEC CO.,Ltd ( ATEC CO.,Ltd(045660) ). ATEC CO.,Ltd contributed to the shift toward contactless and unmanned operations and digital transformation in the finance and retail sectors by localizing core technologies for financial automation equipment and developing smart and AI-powered interactive devices.

35 Awards for Corporate R&D Innovation… Recipients Include Park Tae-seo of Justem

.Co.,Ltd. In the Corporate R&D Promotion category, 35 Deputy Prime Minister’s Commendations were awarded.

In the individual category, 25 recipients were honored, including Park Tae-seo, Executive Vice President of Justem.Co.,Ltd.(417840). Executive Vice President Park contributed to the optimization of production technologies for high-density DRAM and 3D NAND flash through core technologies in semiconductor devices and processes, the localization of advanced semiconductor equipment, and the development of humidity control technology.

In the organizational category, 10 companies, including #S&C Lab, were selected. S&C Lab developed and commercialized automated accessibility diagnostic technology that combines generative Agent AI with multi-agent AI-based digital information accessibility diagnostics, thereby helping to bridge the digital divide for digitally vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities and the elderly.

In addition, 11 “Outstanding Researcher Awards” were presented to outstanding researchers who successfully carried out R&D projects at corporate research institutes and are poised to become next-generation R&D leaders.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, as of 2024, there were approximately 450,000 technology developers engaged in R&D at corporate research institutes, accounting for over 70% of the nation’s research workforce. Since the accreditation system for corporate research institutes was introduced in 1981, the number of such institutes and dedicated R&D departments has grown to over 70,000 as of June 2026.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to use this commemorative ceremony as an opportunity to highlight the role of technology developers who have driven national industrial development and to strengthen R&D capabilities to enable a major leap forward for a technology-driven Republic of Korea.