Hanwha Systems Appoints 1990-born Deputy Manager as Leader of In-house Venture for Future Growth Areas

Senior Researcher Janghan Park, leader of the Hanwha Systems Frontier Team (left in the photo), Senior Researcher Heonwoo Ha, and Senior Researcher Uijeong Kim (Photo by Hanwha Systems)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Hanwha Systems announced on the 20th that it has appointed a research associate born in 1990 as the leader of an in-house venture team leading the development of future satellite items.

Senior Researcher Ha Heonwoo, who was appointed as the leader of the in-house venture team, is an expert in satellite development and will lead the 'System for Microsatellites' among the three newly launched in-house venture teams. This team plans to develop a system that makes satellites smaller, lighter, and more economical.

Senior Researcher Ha earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering and worked at the KAIST Satellite Research Center, participating in the development of the first next-generation small satellite. He later joined Hanwha Systems' Satellite Systems Team, where he was responsible for developing microscale SAR satellites. Ha said, "Miniaturization and lightweighting of satellites are technologies that will determine success in the 'New Space' era," adding, "I will contribute to Hanwha Systems leading the commercialization of space."

Hanwha Systems introduced the in-house venture program 'Frontier,' allowing anyone to propose future business items without restrictions on rank or years of service. Employees selected ideas through online voting, and startup investment and nurturing company N15 Partners also participated. As a result, the three teams launching will receive 100 million KRW in business funds and separate office operating expenses from the company for one year. The company plans to evaluate the commercialization potential after one year.

The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) air taxi service platform team is led by Senior Researcher Kim Eui-jeong. Dr. Kim holds a Ph.D. in information and communication engineering from KAIST and is an expert who has researched mobile communications, guided flight vehicles, and autonomous driving technologies for six years. She is also a patent expert with 45 first-author patents filed.

Senior Researcher Park Janghan, a defense AI expert, was selected as the leader of the artificial intelligence (AI) situational awareness system development team. Dr. Park holds a Ph.D. in computer engineering and possesses core technologies in AI and electro-optics, with six patents related to this idea alone. He has published over ten papers in international journals and was listed in the Marquis Who's Who biographical dictionary, one of the world's top three biographical directories, this year.

Kim Yeoncheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said, "The company is investing in satellite communications and air mobility to secure future growth engines, requiring rapid access to new markets and business model transformation," adding, "The in-house venture Frontier program will be an important starting point."