Kim Dong-myung, CEO of LG Energy Solution, Selected as a 'Proud Alumnus' of KAIST

Kim Dong-myeong, CEO of LG Energy Solution, and three others were selected as ‘Proud Alumni’ of KAIST.

On the 13th, KAIST announced that the Alumni Association had selected the recipients of the ‘KAIST Proud Alumni Award.’ The list of awardees includes ▲ Kim Ihwan, President of the University of Science and Technology (UST) ▲ Jeong Han, CEO of i3system Co., Ltd. ▲ Kim Dong-myeong, CEO of LG Energy Solution ▲ Myung Hyun, Professor of Electrical Engineering at KAIST.

(From left) Lee Whan Kim, President of UST; Han Jung, CEO of i3system Co., Ltd.; Dongmyung Kim, CEO of LG Energy Solution Ltd.; Hyun Myung, Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at KAIST. Provided by KAIST

The award ceremony will be held on the 17th at the 2025 KAIST Alumni Association New Year Gathering at EL Tower in Seoul.

The Proud Alumni Award is given by the Alumni Association to alumni who have contributed to national and social development or have brought honor to their alma mater through outstanding academic achievements and social service. Established in 1992, the award has selected a total of 126 recipients this year.

Kim Ihwan (Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Class of ’82) has played a leading role in establishing a pioneering foundation for national science and technology policy and strategy, advancing the national research and development system, and enhancing the training of science and technology personnel, thereby innovating the country’s scientific and technological capabilities. In particular, he was recognized for his pivotal role in founding UST and the Korea Science Academy of KAIST (KSA), contributing to the establishment of a foundation for nurturing science and technology talents.

Jeong Han (Master’s ’91, Ph.D. ’96 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering) is a first-generation researcher in the domestic infrared detector field and has developed military detectors for over 30 years. He founded i3system, a specialized infrared detector company, in 1998. Currently, his company supplies more than 80% of the infrared detectors used by the Korean military and has exported to over 20 countries.

Kim Dong-myeong (Master’s ’94, Ph.D. ’98 in Materials Science and Engineering) is known as an authority in the secondary battery industry, leading innovation in the battery field. He played a leading role in establishing K-battery as a global leader, strengthening the nation’s future industrial competitiveness, and contributing to the advancement of science and technology, earning him the Proud Alumni recognition.

Myung Hyun (Bachelor’s ’92, Master’s ’94, Ph.D. ’98 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering) achieved first place in the Quadruped Robot Challenge (QRC) at the 2023 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) with the ‘DreamWalker’ robot, which applies the ‘DreamWaQ’ system based on AI deep reinforcement learning for blind walking technology. He developed an independent fully autonomous walking technology that perceives the environment around the robot and finds the optimal path, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the domestic robotics industry.

Yoon Tae Lee, the 27th President of the Alumni Association, praised the awardees, saying, “KAIST alumni have been the driving force behind the growth of various industries by continuously conducting research and development in advanced science and technology fields for a long time. We appreciate the efforts and achievements of the KAIST alumni awardees who lead science and technology on the global stage beyond Korea.”