SNU College of Engineering Announces Recipients of the 2025 College Development Contribution Award
Jin-oh Kim, Chairman of Robot & Design Co., Ltd., and Jin-Seop Jeong, Chairman of Openbase Co., Ltd., Selected as Award Recipients


▲ (From left) Woojin Chang, Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering; Jin-Seop Jeong, Chairman of Openbase Co., Ltd.; Young-Oh Kim, Dean of the College of Engineering; Jin-Oh Kim, Chairman of Robot and Design Co., Ltd.; and Kyu-Jin Cho, Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering

Seoul National University College of Engineering at announced that Jin-oh Kim, Chairman of Robot and Design Co., Ltd., and Jin-Seop Jeong, Chairman of Openbase Co., Ltd., have been selected as recipients of the 2025 College of Engineering Development Contribution Award.

The Development Contribution Award is presented by the SNU College of Engineering to individuals, both within and outside the university, who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the College. The award ceremony was held on December 10 at the main auditorium of Engineer House on the SNU campus. Since its inception in 1989, the award has been conferred 36 times to a total of 66 recipients to date.

Jin-oh Kim, Chairman of Robot and Design Co., Ltd., one of the award recipients, graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the College of Engineering, Seoul National University, in February 1983, and later earned his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University. He served for more than 20 years as a professor in the Department of Robotics at Kwangwoon University, contributing to the development of Korea’s robotics industry and the establishment of its academic foundation. He currently serves as CEO of Robot & Design Co., Ltd. and Chairman of the Korea Association of Robot Industry. In addition, he has demonstrated exceptional dedication to alumni engagement and support for younger generations, making significant contributions to the development of the SNU College of Engineering, including a major donation toward the establishment of the SNU Robotics Research Institute.

Jin-Seop Jeong, Chairman of Openbase Co., Ltd., the other award recipient, graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering at the College of Engineering, Seoul National University, in February 1979. He earned his master’s degrees from the KAIST Graduate School of Technology and Innovation Management and the Department of Systems Engineering at Stanford University. He founded Openbase Co., Ltd. in 1995, contributing to the advancement of Korea’s network industry. He currently serves as CEO of Openbase Co., Ltd. and Chairman of the Federation of Korean Information Industries. Through active industry–academia collaboration with the College of Engineering, he has supported the training of future talent and has made substantial contributions to the development of SNU Engineering by serving as President of the Industrial Engineering Alumni Association and President of the SNU College of Engineering Alumni Association.

Young-Oh Kim, Dean of the SNU College of Engineering, remarked, “The two award recipients are pioneers who opened new fields during a pivotal period in Korea’s industrial development,” adding, “We sincerely thank them for their generous support for the growth of the College of Engineering and for the education of future generations.”