[News Figures] Alice Minsu Cheon, Korean-American Named 'Woman in Her 50s of the Year'

Listed in Forbes with author Lee Min-jin of 'Pachinko'
Invented solar lantern 'Solarpub', strapless masks, and more

Lantern with solar charging method 'Solarpuff' developed by Alice Minsu Cheon (left) / Photo by Alice Minsu Cheon Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Two Korean-Americans were named in the list of "50 Women Over 50 of the Year" selected by the U.S. economic magazine Forbes. They are author Min Jin Lee, who wrote the novel "Pachinko," and entrepreneur Alice Min Soo Chun, CEO. As both a businessperson and inventor, CEO Chun has achieved great success as an entrepreneur and social activist by inventing ingenious products that help low-income communities, such as a strapless transparent mask and a solar-powered charging lantern.

CEO Chun, a somewhat unfamiliar figure in Korea, was born in 1965 in Korea. With an architect father and a painter mother, she moved to New York, USA, in 1968 when she was three years old, and spent her teenage years traveling back and forth between Korea and the United States.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, CEO Chun majored in materials engineering and architectural design at Columbia University. During her graduate studies, her research focused on solar energy storage methods. In particular, she sought effective ways to integrate solar energy into everyday life.

When the 2010 Haiti earthquake left many locals cut off from drinking water and electricity, CEO Chun resolved to create a solar solution usable in any disaster situation. The result of this effort was the invention of the "Solarpuff" in 2011. It is a product that folds like paper and can be expanded into a cube-shaped three-dimensional block with an LED device powered by solar charging inserted inside.

Solar pubs, which can be used even without electricity and offer high portability, are useful in disaster situations and refugee camps. / Photo by Solarite Design homepage capture

Even in environments without electricity, it can provide light, and since it can be folded for storage, it takes up very little space. Its unique elegant design also attracted interest from general consumers.

Since its release, Solarpuff has been actively used in disaster sites and developing countries. Building on the success of Solarpuff, CEO Chun co-founded the social design company "Solight Design" in 2015 and has been leading the company as CEO ever since.

SEEUS95 transparent mask. / Photo by SEEUS95 website capture

CEO Chun's "social innovation" did not stop with Solarpuff. In 2020, when COVID-19 swept the world, she invented the world's first strapless transparent mask with an N95 filter called "SEEUS95." This mask features a transparent cover and uses adhesive materials to eliminate the need for ear loops, designed to reduce discomfort for the hearing impaired.

For her contribution to helping disaster victims and refugees in developing countries by inventing Solarpuff, CEO Chun received the "Patent for Humanity Award" from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2018. Her designed products have also had the honor of being exhibited at MoMA, New York's leading modern art museum. CEO Chun contributes to social giving by donating 10% of the profits from her products, such as solar lanterns and masks, to nonprofit partners and those in need.