SNU–Korea University–Kyonggi University Team Wins ASCE Paper Award, First for an All-Domestic Research Team in Korea
Recognition of Korea’s structural safety technology on the global stage… Congratulatory message from Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport


▲ (From left) Jennifer L. Goupil, Managing Director of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Sanghee Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Kyonggi University; Thomas Kang, Professor, Department of Architecture, Seoul National University; Donghyuk Jung, Associate Professor, School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University; Edwin T. Huston, President of ASCE SEI

Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a Korean research team—comprising Professor Thomas Kang (principal investigator), Byungwoon Kwon, and Dongju Lee from the Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering at Seoul National University, along with Professor Donghyuk Jung of Korea University and Professor Sanghee Kim of Kyonggi University—has received the T.Y. Lin Award, the top paper award presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The award ceremony was held on May 1 (local time) at the ASCE Structures Congress 2026 in Boston, United States.

The T.Y. Lin Award is jointly presented by four leading international societies—the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), and the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI)—to recognize the most outstanding paper of the year.

The U.S. National Research Council (NRC) officially classifies academic awards in engineering and science into two tiers: “Highly Prestigious” and “Prestigious.” The T.Y. Lin Award is designated as a “Prestigious” award by the NRC in the field of construction and concrete structures. As no award in this field is classified as “Highly Prestigious,” the T.Y. Lin Award is widely regarded as the highest internationally recognized honor in concrete structural engineering.

The award-winning paper, titled “Seismic Behavior of Monolithic Exterior Beam-Column Connections with Unbonded Post-Tensioning,” was published in November 2023 in the ACI Structural Journal, the world’s leading journal in concrete engineering. The study experimentally investigates the seismic performance of beam-column connections in buildings when post-tensioning techniques are applied, and is recognized as a foundational technology that can enhance the seismic safety of high-rise buildings.

This achievement is particularly significant as it marks the first time that an ASCE paper award has been granted to a team composed entirely of Korean researchers affiliated with domestic institutions. According to SNU officials, while there have been previous cases involving Korean researchers based overseas or international collaborations, this is the first award received by a purely domestic team of Korean researchers.

Professor Thomas Kang of Seoul National University, the principal investigator, said, “It is a great honor to receive this prestigious recognition solely with researchers from Korean universities for the first time. This achievement demonstrates that Korea’s structural engineering research has reached the highest global level.”

In a congratulatory message dated May 22, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoon-deok Kim stated, “It is especially meaningful and a source of great pride that this marks the first time Korean researchers have received this award. This study is highly significant in that it has globally validated the potential of structural safety technologies capable of withstanding major earthquakes,” congratulating the research team on their achievement.

▲ Congratulatory message from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

[Contact Information]
Hyeonsik Choi, Researcher, Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering, Seoul National University / +82-2-880-8303 / gustlr7799@snu.ac.kr