Top Award in Display Industry Upgraded from Silver to Gold
Visit by Minister of Industry Bang Moon-kyu: "Regain No.1 by 2027"
Association: "Boost Pride, Pioneer New Markets"
The display industry is receiving the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit for the first time. Previously, only the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit was attainable, but from this year, the Gold Tower Order can also be awarded. The first recipient is Choi Ju-seon, President and CEO of Samsung Display.
The Korea Display Industry Association announced on the 21st that at the '14th Display Day Ceremony' held at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Choi received the Gold Tower Order for the first time during the awards ceremony for industrial development contributors.
The ceremony was attended by over 350 people, including Bang Moon-kyu, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Jung Ho-young, Chairman of the Korea Display Association and President and CEO of LG Display; Choi; and representatives from industry, academia, and research sectors. Forty contributors received awards.
The ceremony commemorates October 2006, when annual display exports surpassed 10 billion USD (approximately 13.4 trillion KRW). The first event was held in October 2010. At the first ceremony, 10 contributors received ministerial citations. In 2011, the Industrial Merit Medal, Presidential Citation, and Prime Minister Citation were added. In 2016, the 3rd-grade Bronze Tower Order was awarded for the first time. In 2019, the Bronze Tower Order was upgraded to the Silver Tower Order. Since then, display industry workers have received the 2nd-grade Silver Tower Order. This year, the Ministry of Industry decided to award the 1st-grade Gold Tower Order for the first time.
Four government awardees among the contributors to the development of the display industry at the 14th Display Day. [Photo by Korea Display Industry Association]
The association welcomed the significance of awarding the Gold Tower Order amid the government's announcement of various display industry promotion policies. Since designating the display sector as a national advanced strategic industry in November last year, the government has announced several support policies. This Gold Tower Order award is expected not only to boost pride in the display industry but also to accelerate technology development and actively pioneer new markets.
In his congratulatory speech at the ceremony, Minister Bang said, "Securing an overwhelming lead in advanced industries through manufacturing capabilities and technological prowess will be the top priority of industrial policy," adding, "We will solidify the technological gap based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology and preempt future core technologies such as inorganic light-emitting and metaverse displays to reclaim the world's number one display position by 2027."
Lee Dong-wook, Vice Chairman of the association, said, "The industry welcomes the first awarding of the Gold Tower Order in the display industry development contributor awards very positively," and added, "It will serve as a driving force to boost morale and pride among display industry workers in industry, academia, and research, thereby enhancing industrial competitiveness."
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