NAIRL Produces Awardees at Science and ICT Day

Researchers and partner organizations associated with the National AI Research Lab (NAIRL) were honored with government awards at the “2026 Science and ICT Day” commemorative ceremony. Among this year’s awardees, Minsu Cho, Mu-Eun-Jae Endowed Chair Professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and a participating researcher in NAIRL, received a Presidential Citation, while Hwi Woong Jeong, Head of Research at 42Maru, a partner organization of NAIRL, received a Prime Minister’s Citation.

The “2026 Science and ICT Day” ceremony is an official government event hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission for Broadcasting and Media, and organized by the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies and the Korea Information and Communications Promotion Association. At this year’s ceremony, government awards were presented to 164 individuals who contributed to the advancement of science and technology, information and communications, and the performance evaluation of national R&D.

Professor Minsu Cho was recognized for his contributions to advancing AI research in areas such as image matching, object recognition, video understanding, and shape composition. He was also acknowledged for his active academic engagement and participation in national R&D planning, which contributed to the internationalization of the AI field.

Hwi Woong Jeong was recognized for his contributions to the industrial application of AI technologies, the commercialization of IoT-related technologies, the expansion of cloud computing, and the public adoption of open-source software. Based on these achievements, he received the Prime Minister’s Citation at this year’s ceremony.

These recognitions show that the collaborative ecosystem built by NAIRL is generating meaningful outcomes across both academia and industry. The fact that both a NAIRL-affiliated researcher and a partner company leader received government honors once again highlights the breadth of the Lab’s research collaboration and industry engagement.

NAIRL will continue to contribute to strengthening Korea’s AI research competitiveness and expanding its innovation ecosystem through close collaboration with universities, research institutions, and industry partners in Korea and abroad.