Seoktap Research Awards Presented and BK21·Graduate School Innovation Achievements Shared

On February 4, Korea University Sejong Campus held the ‘2025 Academic Year Outstanding Faculty Achievement Awards Ceremony and Graduate School Innovation Performance Forum’ at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Sejong. The event was organized to honor faculty members who produced outstanding research outcomes over the past year and to share the achievements of the Fourth-Stage BK21 Program and the Graduate School Innovation Support Project.

Approximately 100 participants attended the event, including Vice President Yang Jiwoon, Director of Research and Business Cooperation Choi Dooho, other key administrators, recipients of the Seoktap Research Award and Seoktap Research and Business Cooperation Award, BK21 participating professors, and graduate students. Participants shared research outcomes and discussed directions for innovation in graduate education and research.

The forum was conducted in morning and afternoon sessions. During the first session in the morning, graduate students presented the operational outcomes of the Graduate School Innovation Support Project. The second session in the afternoon began with the presentation of the Seoktap Research Award and Seoktap Research and Business Cooperation Award, followed by a keynote lecture by the chair university of the BK21 Graduate School Innovation Council, presentations on the achievements of the Graduate School Innovation Support Project and education and research teams, presentations on international joint research and institutional research outcomes. Innovative cases in graduate education and research, including the Sejong Campus’s specialized human resource development program ‘G-STAR,’ were also introduced.

At the awards ceremony, the Seoktap Research Award and Seoktap Research and Business Cooperation Award were presented to faculty members who demonstrated excellence in areas such as the quality of academic publications, research funding acquisition, and technology transfer performance. The awards aim to encourage researchers who have contributed to improving the university’s research competitiveness indicators (such as FWCI) and to foster an environment conducive to focused research. The 14th Seoktap

Research Award was presented in two categories, research funding acquisition and academic publications, while the Seoktap Research and Business Cooperation Award was presented to Professor Kim Youngjun of the Department of Food and Biotechnology.

Recipients of the Seoktap Research Award in the research funding acquisition category included Professors Kim Haryong (Pharmacy), Baek Seungpil (Bioinformatics, Merit Award recipient), Kim Youngjun (Food and Biotechnology), Kim Hwi (Electronics and Information Engineering), Byun Youngjoo (Pharmacy), Kim Eunsan (Accelerator Science), Hwang Hanjung (Electronics and Information Engineering), Choi Dooho (Cybersecurity), Park Sunghee (Accelerator Science), Kim Heeseok (Cybersecurity), Lee Hyera (Bioinformatics), Lee Jaewoo (Electronics and Information Engineering), Han Miran (Cybersecurity), Kim Sungpyo (Environmental Engineering), Kim Jinmin (Business Administration), Cho Hyungoo (Graduate School of Public Administration), and Kim Jaeyoung (Business Administration).

In the academic publication category, awardees included Professors Ahn Junsung (Control and Instrumentation Engineering), Yoo Heejung (Electronics and Information Engineering), Park Haerang (Faculty of Convergence Business), Hong Yongseok (Environmental Engineering), Baek Seungpil (Bioinformatics, Merit Award recipient), Kim Sungjoon (AI Semiconductor Engineering), Park Chul (Global Business, Merit Award recipient), Kim Youngjin (Environmental Engineering), Bae Sungwoo (Environmental Systems Engineering), Choi Seokbong (Global Business), Ryu Sungok (Sports Convergence Studies), Bae Junseo (Division of Smart Cities), and Badloe Trevon James (Electronics and Information Engineering).

Vice President Yang Jiwoon stated, “Thanks to the passion and dedication of our professors, the Sejong Campus has been able to grow into a truly research-oriented university. We will continue to provide full administrative and financial support so that researchers are respected and can fully demonstrate their capabilities.”

Relatedly, Korea University Sejong Campus plans to share its policy directions for graduate school support for the 2026 academic year, focusing on deregulation and expanded research support, through this performance forum, while continuing efforts to create a researcher-centered environment and strengthen its status as a research-focused university.