Former Minister of Science and ICT Seong-Wook Seo Passes Away
A Milestone in Korea's Telecommunications History
On January 11th at around 5:30 AM, Seo Jeong-wook, former Minister of Science and Technology who led the world's first commercialization of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication in January 1996, passed away due to old age at a hospital in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. He was 90 years old.
Born in November 1934 in Seoul, he graduated from Huimun High School and Seoul National University’s Department of Electrical Engineering. After studying abroad at Texas A&M University in the United States, he worked at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and was appointed head of the Korea Telecom TDX project team in January 1984, leading the advancement of domestic communication technology. He served as vice president of Korea Telecom, president of Korea Mobile Telecommunications (now SK Telecom), vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and director of KIST, demonstrating his capabilities in both public and private sectors as well as in research to foster growth in the telecommunications industry.
Former Minister Seo played a significant role at every turning point in the development of Korea’s telecommunications industry. He was a key figure in the development of Korea Telecom’s TDX electronic switching system and played a major role in transitioning mobile phones from analog to digital technology. The introduction of CDMA left legendary anecdotes in Korea’s telecommunications history.
During the adoption process of digital mobile communication, instead of the then-dominant Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), the CDMA method developed by the American venture company Qualcomm was chosen. Seo was appointed head of the mobile communication technology development management team at Korea Mobile Telecommunications (the predecessor of SK Telecom) and was responsible for the introduction of CDMA. Although concerns arose that Korea would become a test bed for CDMA, a successful test call was made in November 1995, and on January 1, 1996, service was launched for the first time in the world in the Incheon and Bucheon areas. After Korea’s success, the CDMA method began to spread worldwide. Seo received the Gold Tower Industrial Medal in 1996 for leading the commercialization of CDMA. He also lectured at Myongji University, Seoul National University, Ewha Womans University, the Air Force Academy, and Soonchunhyang University. He was active as chairman of the Electronic Trade Promotion Center at the Korea International Trade Association.
His publications include 'Th?lematique for Future Elites' (1990), 'Standing at the Gateway of the Information Society' (1993), 'Designing Korea for 2001' (1995), and 'People Who Opened the Future - The Path Walked with Telecommunications' (1997). He received the Cheoltap Industrial Medal (1978), the Order of Civil Merit, Dongbaek Medal (1986), the Order of Service Merit, Hwangjo Medal (1992), the Information and Communication Award (1996), and the Electronics Award from the Korean Academy of Engineering (2002). In 2018, he was recognized as a contributor to the defense industry. The funeral is being held at Samsung Seoul Hospital Funeral Hall, Room 17. The funeral procession will depart at 10:30 AM on the 13th, and the burial site is at Maseok Jeongdong First Church Retreat Center.
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