Jung-sik Kim, Founder of Daeduk Electronics and Chairman of Haedong Science and Cultural Foundation, Donated 50 Billion Korean Won for the Establishment and Management of Haedong Institute of Advanced Engineering


▲ Photo at the Donation Ceremony

 
SNU College of Engineering (Dean Kook-heon Char) with Chairman Jung-sik Kim (90, SNU Department of Electrical Engineering Class of 1965) of Haedong Science and Cultural Foundation, also the founder and president of Daeduk Electronics, signed for the donation to support the establishment and management of Haedong Institute of Advanced Engineering (tentative name), a new research and education center for the College of Engineering, on February 18^th. Chairman Kim revealed to donate 50 Billion Korean Won at the ceremony. President Se-Jung Oh of SNU, Dean Kook-heon Char of College of Engineering, deans of all engineering departments, and other major figures of SNU participated in this event.
 
The Haedong Science and Cultural Foundation was established by Chairman Kim in 1991 for research support and development of industrial technologies. Kim created the “Haedong Award” in the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and several other societies for the advancement of science and technology. Through the award, he supported the research funds of 282 recipients. Kim also funded full-scholarship to 280 undergraduate students. He also built over 20 Haedong libraries inside the Colleges of Engineering around the country to back the Korean scientists, researchers, and universities as their biggest supporter.
 
Kim’s love to his Alma Mater, SNU College of Engineering, led to him providing consistent support to the school as an individual donor. Starting from the construction of Haedong Digital Library for the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering, Kim supported the establishment of around 10 facilities inside SNU, including the Haedong Japan Technology Information Center and the Haedong Idea Factory.
 
This donation fund will be used to construct new research and education space for interdisciplinary convergence researches on robots, semiconductors, energy, biology, and other fields required for Korea to secure its national competitiveness on Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, speed basic and applied convergence and educational researches on all fields, and construct advanced management system for smooth and efficient conversation.
 
Chairman Kim stated, “I began the scholarship program and educational facility support program to help students who cannot commit to their study due to financial difficulties.”
 
Daeduk Electronics, established and operated by Kim, is the living history that has led the electronics industry of Korea since 1965. The company manufactured printed circuit boards (PCB) for radio and TV in the past and is currently producing circuit boards for smart phones and other 5G mobile communications terminal.
 
Kim added, “I feel rewarded helping science and engineering talents through establishing foundations while operating an IT company. I hope the establishment of the Haedong Institute of Advanced Engineering (tentative name) will not be a one-time event but will be an extension of the establishment of new College of Engineering buildings. The institute shall be used as a platform for the great leap of the College of Engineering.”
 
Dean Char stated, “Chairman Kim’s donation is the largest donation in Korea that comes close to the fund to build the AI graduate school of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)’s College of Engineering. His 30 years of donation is equivalent to that of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. College of Engineering, receiving such great support from Chairman Kim, will focus on designing and building new educational research system that can compete against world’s leading engineering colleges.”