The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Industrial Technology Association announced that Choi Seok-ho, a principal research engineer at LG Electronics Inc., and Choi Yun-hwa, CEO of JMJ Korea Co., Ltd., have been selected as the August 2026 winners of the Korea Engineer Award. The two were honored respectively for developing a biomimetic flow-control design for HVAC-appliance fans and a high-efficiency power-semiconductor packaging technology.
 [코리안투데이] Choi Seok-ho, principal research engineer, and Choi Yun-hwa, CEO, winners of the August 2026 Korea Engineer Award © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon) and the Korea Industrial Technology Association (Chairman Koo Ja-kyun) announced the August 2026 winners of the Korea Engineer Award on the 10th.
The Korea Engineer Award is a program that honors outstanding engineers by selecting those who have made significant contributions in the technical field, in order to encourage industrial innovation and foster a culture that values engineers. Each recipient receives the Deputy Prime Minister’s Award (the Minister of Science and ICT’s Award) and a prize of 5 million won. Funded by the Ministry’s Science and Technology Promotion Fund and the Lottery Fund, the program has been operated since 2002. Winners are announced monthly through an application and selection process held twice a year at six-month intervals. A total of 33 people are selected annually, and combined award ceremonies are held twice a year.
Choi Seok-ho, a principal research engineer at LG Electronics Inc.’s ES Research Center, developed a flow-control design that suppresses air separation and slip by applying the tubercles of a humpback whale’s fin and the ridged structure of a scallop shell to the surface of HVAC-appliance fans. Separation is a phenomenon in which air fails to flow along the fan and detaches from it; when the humpback whale’s fin tubercles generate turbulence and supply energy to the air, the air stays attached to and flows along the fan surface. Slip is a phenomenon in which air spins idly in the rotational direction rather than along the axial direction, and the fan-shaped grooved pattern of the scallop-shell structure blocks radial-direction flow to suppress it.
Through this design, Choi achieved up to a 10 percent increase in maximum airflow and more than a 10 percent reduction in power consumption from each of the two structures, for a combined result of up to a 20 percent increase in maximum airflow and a 20 percent reduction in power consumption. The cooling capacity of the air conditioner rose 20 percent, from 20HP to 24HP. He is an expert who has studied airflow optimization through fan design at LG Electronics for the past 22 years, developing flow-control technologies that mimic the biological structures of animals through industry-academia collaboration with Seoul National University and other institutions.
Choi Seok-ho said in his acceptance remarks, ‘Based on innovative airflow technology, I will continue to enhance the competitiveness of various HVAC products and do my best to promote the use of domestic products in the emerging data-center cooling market.’ LG Electronics Inc. operates 27 corporate research institutes recognized by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and participates in government R&D for developing eco-friendly technologies and smart solutions for home appliances.
The other winner, Choi Yun-hwa, CEO of JMJ Korea Co., Ltd., developed a technology that connects (bonds) the chip and substrate using a copper conductor (clip), commercializing a high-efficiency power-semiconductor packaging technology that dramatically improves heat dissipation. Because power semiconductors control high voltage and high current in electric vehicles, home appliances, and industrial motors, they generate extreme heat, making heat-dissipation management essential for product lifespan and stability. Previously, thin thread-like wires were used as the conductor linking the chip and substrate, but their small heat-releasing area limited heat dissipation. Choi overcame this limitation by pressing a large area of copper tightly against the chip, thereby widening the pathway through which heat escapes.
As a result, electrical resistivity was lowered by about 60 percent or more and thermal conductivity was raised by about 50 percent or more compared with competitors’ products. The technology is being supplied to global power-semiconductor companies, beginning with Texas Instruments and including UTAC, Amkor, ONSemi, Diodes, and nexperia, and reached 10 million dollars in exports in 2025. Choi has accumulated experience in power-semiconductor packaging R&D since 1993 and, based on some 200 related domestic and overseas patents (182 registered, 67 filed), is leading the localization of power-semiconductor processes.
Choi Yun-hwa said, ‘Thanks to our research capabilities, we were able to grow into a leading company in the power-semiconductor field, and we will continue to strengthen our competitiveness in the global market by establishing a domestic power-semiconductor supply chain.’ JMJ Korea Co., Ltd. has strengthened its innovation capabilities by participating in government R&D since its corporate research institute was recognized in 2013.
This year’s awards are significant in that they represent the achievements of domestic engineers who solved the long-standing industrial challenges of energy efficiency and heat dissipation through the structures of nature and material innovation. The HVAC technology that cuts power consumption by 20 percent and the domestic power-semiconductor packaging technology directly affect the performance and energy costs of products closely tied to people’s daily lives, such as home appliances and electric vehicles. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to continue strengthening rewards and recognition for outstanding engineers and supporting the diffusion of research achievements based on industry-academia-research cooperation, thereby pursuing technology-driven growth in which the public and private sectors work together.
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