36th Samsung Ho-Am Prize ceremony

Lee proposes expanded support for basic sciences

Recipients go on to win world-renowned awards

Event cements status as South Korea's top academic prize

Attendees at the 36th Samsung Ho-Am Prize ceremony pose for a group photo. From the back row, left, clockwise: Oh Sung-jin, UC Berkeley professor and Science Prize winner in physics and mathematics, with his spouse; Oh Dong-chan, chief medical officer of the National Sorokdo Hospital and Social Service Prize winner, with his spouse; Yoon Tae-sik, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and Science Prize winner in chemistry and life sciences, with his spouse; Kim Hwang-sik, chairman of the Ho-Am Foundation; Yoo Hong-lim, president of Seoul National University; Kim Bum-man, POSTECH emeritus professor and Engineering Prize winner, with his spouse; soprano Cho Sumi, Arts Prize winner; Eva Hoffmann, University of Copenhagen professor and Medicine Prize winner, with her spouse; and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. [Ho-Am Foundation]
Attendees at the 36th Samsung Ho-Am Prize ceremony pose for a group photo. From the back row, left, clockwise: Oh Sung-jin, UC Berkeley professor and Science Prize winner in physics and mathematics, with his spouse; Oh Dong-chan, chief medical officer of the National Sorokdo Hospital and Social Service Prize winner, with his spouse; Yoon Tae-sik, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and Science Prize winner in chemistry and life sciences, with his spouse; Kim Hwang-sik, chairman of the Ho-Am Foundation; Yoo Hong-lim, president of Seoul National University; Kim Bum-man, POSTECH emeritus professor and Engineering Prize winner, with his spouse; soprano Cho Sumi, Arts Prize winner; Eva Hoffmann, University of Copenhagen professor and Medicine Prize winner, with her spouse; and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. [Ho-Am Foundation]

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the Samsung Ho-Am Prize ceremony for the fifth consecutive year Monday, reaffirming his commitment to the founding management philosophy of "national contribution through business and talent first" championed by Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul and his father, the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

Lee arrived at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, at 3:50 p.m. Monday for the 36th Samsung Ho-Am Prize ceremony.

He proceeded directly to the hotel's Dynasty Hall, where Ho-Am Foundation Chairman Kim Hwang-sik greeted him at the entrance. Lee took a seat in the front row and watched as the award recipients were announced.

Lee has worked to develop the Ho-Am Prize as an expression of the founding philosophy he inherited from his predecessors.

The Ho-Am Foundation split the Science Prize — previously awarded to a single recipient — into two categories: physics and mathematics, and chemistry and life sciences, increasing the number of science honorees. The change stemmed from a proposal by Lee to expand support for basic sciences, with the aim of strengthening the foundations of the technology and industrial ecosystem and ultimately enhancing national competitiveness.

Established by Lee Kun-hee in 1990, the Samsung Ho-Am Prize marks its 36th anniversary this year and has firmly established itself as South Korea's most prestigious academic award. Recipients have gone on to win some of the world's most distinguished honors.

June Huh, a professor at Princeton University, was named the Ho-Am Prize Science Prize winner in physics and mathematics in 2021 for solving longstanding problems in modern mathematics. The following year, he became the first Korean to receive the Fields Medal, widely regarded as the Nobel Prize of mathematics.

Author Han Kang received the Ho-Am Prize Arts Prize in May 2024 and went on to become the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature that October.

About 270 people attended the ceremony in all, including Lee, presidents of Samsung affiliates, and the recipients' families, friends and associates.

Jun Young-hyun, vice chairman and head of Samsung Electronics' DS (semiconductor) division, and Roh Tae-moon, president and head of the DX (finished products) division overseeing mobile, home appliances and TV businesses, were also present.

Other Samsung executives in attendance included Choi Ju-sun, president of Samsung SDI; Jang Deok-hyun, president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics; Lee Cheong, president of Samsung Display; Park Yong-in, president of the System LSI business unit within Samsung Electronics' DS division; Kim Yong-kwan, president overseeing management strategy for the DS division; Song Jae-hyuk, president and chief technology officer of the DS division; Lee Won-jin, president of Samsung Electronics' Visual Display business unit; and Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robot Advancement Team.

External guests included Sven Lidin, president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Kim Do-yeon, former president of POSTECH; and Lee Ju-yeol, former governor of the Bank of Korea.

This year's Samsung Ho-Am Prize recipients are: Oh Sung-jin, 37, professor at UC Berkeley, Science Prize in physics and mathematics; Yoon Tae-sik, 51, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Science Prize in chemistry and life sciences; Kim Bum-man, 79, emeritus professor at POSTECH, Engineering Prize; Eva Hoffmann, 51, professor at the University of Copenhagen, Medicine Prize; Cho Sumi, 63, soprano, Arts Prize; and Oh Dong-chan, 58, chief medical officer of the National Sorokdo Hospital, Social Service Prize.

Each recipient received a certificate, a medal and prize money of 300 million won (about $199,000), for a combined total of 1.8 billion won. Through the 36th ceremony this year, the foundation has awarded a total of 37.9 billion won to 188 recipients.


jeongwan@heraldcorp.com