"Printing Culture Day" Park Jintae, CEO of Kyungsung Cultural Company, Awarded Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit

37th Printing Culture Day Commemoration Ceremony Held
23 Contributors Honored with Government Awards

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it will hold a government award ceremony for contributors to the development of the printing culture industry at the 37th Printing Culture Day commemoration event, which will take place on September 12 at the PJ Hotel Karadium Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. This year, a total of 23 individuals will be honored: one recipient of the Order of Cultural Merit, one Presidential Citation, one Prime Minister's Citation, and 20 Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citations. First Vice Minister Kim Youngsoo will attend the ceremony to present the government awards and encourage those involved.

Park Jintae, CEO of Kyungsung Cultural Company, recipient of the Order of Cultural Merit, Silver Crown. Provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

This year, the Order of Cultural Merit, Silver Crown, will be awarded to Park Jintae, CEO of Kyungsung Cultural Company. Since founding Kyungsung Cultural Company in 1991, Park Jintae has printed approximately 80 million publications annually over the past 33 years, consistently leading technological development and management innovation despite rapidly changing economic and industrial environments. He has also been at the forefront of eco-friendly, high-quality printing and the practice of environmental, social, and transparent management (ESG).

The Presidential Citation will be awarded to Kim Sumin, CEO of Soo-in Documentary Curator. Kim Sumin was recognized for developing and patenting a remote maintenance system for extended markup language (XML) that automatically reflects document editing and revisions in real time, thereby building capabilities for small-quantity, multi-variety printing.

From the left, Soo-min Kim, CEO of Soo-in Documentary Curator, who received the Presidential Citation, and Kyung-man Ahn, CEO of Kyungin D&P, who received the Prime Minister's Citation. Provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Kyungman Ahn, CEO of Kyungin D&P, will receive the Prime Minister's Citation. As a first-generation printer, Ahn Kyungman has actively promoted the succession of family businesses among small printing businesses, and has contributed to the industry's development by obtaining patents and trademark registrations for data-linked enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citation will be awarded to 20 individuals, including Kang Gutae, CEO of Boseong Injae, and Shin Wonkyun, CEO of Bohyeon Total Printing, who have contributed to the industry's development through technological advancements such as improving print quality and automating printing, as well as management innovation.

Now in its 37th year, Printing Culture Day commemorates July 25 of the lunar calendar in 1447, when "Seokbosangjeol," the first Korean metal type book in Hangul, was printed. Each year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism presents awards on this day to boost the morale of printing professionals and promote industry growth. "Seokbosangjeol" is a book compiled in Hangul by Grand Prince Suyang, translating the life and major teachings of Buddha.

Vice Minister Kim Youngsoo stated, "Next year, the World Print Congress 2026 will be held in Korea for the first time in ten years, with printing culture industry representatives from around the world participating. As the birthplace of printing, we plan to support efforts to enhance the international standing of 'K-Print' and create an opportunity for the industry to make a new leap forward."