Hyundai Group Chair Hyun Jeong-eun (left) and Lee Kwang-hyung, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, pose for a photo at a ceremony marking the foundation’s donation to the KAIST held at the university’s Seoul campus on Friday. (KAIST) The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Sunday it has received a 500 million won ($340,000) donation from the Imdang Scholarship & Cultural Foundation to support the modernization of its space research infrastructure.
Hyun Jeong-eun, chair of Hyundai Group and an advisor to the foundation, KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung and Han Jae-hung, director of KAIST Space Institute, attended a congratulatory ceremony held at the KAIST Seoul Campus on Friday.
The Imdang Scholarship & Cultural Foundation is a nonprofit scholarship organization established in 2005 by Hyun’s mother, Kim Moon-hee. The foundation is currently chaired by Hyun’s eldest daughter, Chung Ji-yi, who serves as the executive director at Hyundai Movex. It has funded various projects in education, culture, arts and sports.
The latest contribution will be used to upgrade the “Chung Mong-hun Uribyeol Laboratory” at KAIST’s main campus in Daejeon, including the installation of an elevator and the renovation of its exhibition hall with advanced digital displays to showcase KAIST’s space research achievements and history.
Funded by the late Hyundai Chair Chung Mong-hun — Hyun Jeong-eun’s husband — in 1997, the research facility is regarded as Korea’s first university-level organization dedicated to space research.
Founded in 1989, the KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center — located in the Chung Mong-hun Uribyeol Research Building — developed Korea’s first satellite, Wooribyeol-1. Since then, the center has evolved into a world-class hub for small and microsatellite technologies, leading the development of next-generation small satellites and ultrasmall satellite constellations using Korea’s homegrown technologies.
“The late Chairman Chung Mong-hun supported KAIST’s satellite technology research lab with a deep passion for science and space,” Hyun said. “In honor of his wishes, I hope this upgrade to the research environment will contribute to the advancement of Korea’s space technology and inspire more young talents to pursue their dreams.”
hyejin2@heraldcorp.com