The 38th Textile Day Event
75 Contributors Awarded for Advancing the Textile Fashion Industry
The Korea Textile Industry Association announced on the 12th that Hong Jae-seong, chairman of JS Corporation, was awarded the Gold Tower Industrial Medal in celebration of the 38th Textile Day on the 11th.
Textile Day was established to commemorate November 11, 1987, when the textile and fashion industry became the first single industry in Korea to achieve $10 billion in exports. Every year, awards are given to textile and fashion industry professionals who have contributed to the national economy and the development of the textile and fashion industry through exports, job creation, and other efforts, alongside commemorative ceremonies.
This year’s Textile Day ceremony was held on the 3rd floor of the Textile Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Attendees included Choi Byung-oh, chairman of the Korea Federation of Textile Industries, Lee Cheol-gyu, chairman of the National Assembly’s Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, Lee Seung-ryeol, director of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation. During the ceremony, a total of 75 awards were presented to textile and fashion professionals who contributed to the industry’s development, including 3 medals and decorations such as the Gold Tower Industrial Medal, 3 Presidential Citations, 3 Prime Minister Citations, 38 Minister of Industry Citations, and 28 Chairman of the Korea Federation of Textile Industries Citations.
Hong Jae-seong, who received the Gold Tower Industrial Medal, has led JS Corporation, a global textile and fashion manufacturing export company, for 40 years. As the world’s second-largest handbag exporter, the company acquired the apparel export company Yakjin Tongsang in 2020 and achieved exports of $559.8 million and sales of 862.8 billion KRW last year, mainly in the Americas and Europe.
The Silver Tower Industrial Medal was awarded to Cho Jeong-moon, CEO of Saenal Techtex. He was recognized for successfully localizing the production of automotive airbag fabrics for the first time in Korea through research and development, and for contributing to the enhancement of global competitiveness and technological advancement in industrial textiles by growing continuously into one of the world’s top three producers in this field (with 100% domestic market share).
The Industrial Medal was awarded to Lee Seong-geun, CEO of Kyung-eun Industry. He received high praise for his efforts in energy reduction equipment conversion through research and development of energy conversion platforms using textile products and waste resources. Currently, he is accelerating the development of various industrial textiles such as sunroof fabrics, flame-retardant curtains, and conductive textiles.
Additionally, Jung Hyun-boon, CEO of SK Tex, Park Seon-joo, executive director of Hansol Textile, and Jung Kyung-ah, CEO of Isae F&C, received Presidential Citations, while Jung Myung-hyo, CEO of Seongsin Textile, Choi Il, executive director of Youngone Trading, and Jung Kyung-yoon, chief of Daehan Chemical Fiber, were awarded Prime Minister Citations.
On this day, Chairman Choi Byung-oh delivered a commemorative speech, stating, “Our textile and fashion industry is facing various challenges due to the ongoing global economic slowdown, geopolitical risks, and changes in the trade environment (such as strengthened protectionism),” urging continuous innovation and challenges.
Chairman Choi continued, “First, we must enhance industrial competitiveness through convergence with advanced technologies aiming at productivity improvement and new value creation. Second, we need to widely promote the excellence of K-Fashion. Lastly, we will make greater investments and support to establish a sustainable circular ecosystem through the development of eco-friendly materials, recycled textile technologies, and the cultivation of specialized personnel.”
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