Ho-Am Foundation names annual prize winners

From left: Nam Hong-gil, Lee Sang-yup, Seung K. Kim, Hong Hei-kyung, Kim Ha-jong

Lee Sang-yup, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist), and soprano Hong Hei-kyung were among the winners of this year’s Ho-Am Prize awards, which were announced yesterday by Samsung Group’s Ho-Am Foundation.

The Ho-Am Prize is given to any Korean citizen who makes the biggest contribution to the country each year in areas including science, engineering, medicine, arts and philanthropy.

Among the honors bestowed by local organizations or companies, it boasts the biggest monetary award, with 300 million won ($283,862) for each recipient. Ho-Am is the pseudonym of Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chull.

Professor Lee, the recipient of the Ho-Am Prize for engineering, is a pioneer of systems metabolic engineering. According to the foundation, he also developed the world’s first bio-technology for producing gasoline from renewable resources, using genetically engineered bacteria.

Hong, who was honored for her contributions to the arts, is an internationally renowned prima donna. Since debuting in 1984, she has performed in leading opera companies around the world, symphony orchestras and with various musicians and composers.

Other winners included Nam Hong-gil, a professor at the Daegu-based DGIST, Seung K. Kim, a professor at Stanford University, and the Rev. Kim Ha-jong.

Professor Nam, an acclaimed botanist, received the Ho-Am award in science, and Professor Kim was honored for his work in medicine.

The community service winner, Father Kim, an Italian priest whose given name is Bordo Vincenzo, has served the poor of Korea since coming here in the 1990s.

The awards ceremony will be held on May 30 at the Ho-Am Art Hall in central Seoul. The Ho-Am Foundation also said that it will hold its second Ho-Am Forum on May 28 at the Shilla Hotel.

BY MOON GWANG-LIP [joe@joongang.co.kr]