The KAIST Alumni Association has chosen the laureates for the “2011 Alumni of the Year” Prize, given to those who have not only contributed to the development of the country and society, but also raised the reputation of the school. This year the winners are Man Gi Paik (Patent Attorney at Kim & Chang), Lee Yong Hee (Dean of College of Natural Science), Se-in Yang (Vice President of OCI), Kim Dae Hoon (CEO of LG CNS) and Sungkyun Na (CEO of Neowiz).

The “Alumni of the Year” award was first given back in 1992. This year, the award ceremony was held on January 14 at the JW Marriott Hotel.

Patent Attorney Paik, who graduated from KAIST with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, worked as a Patent Examiner in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and has been promoted to the Appellate Trial Examiner position. He has contributed to the fusing of engineering and administration, expanding jobs in the natural sciences and engineering field.

Professor Lee, a graduate with a Master’s degree in Applied Physics, is mainly interested in photonic bandgap lasers and nano-photonic integrated optical circuits. He has received the Korea Science Award and is currently residing as Dean of the College of Natural Science, contributing to KAIST’s development.

Vice President Yang, who got his Master’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, leads the domestic production of polycrystalline silicon, an essential material in the renewable energy industry, enabling OCI to gain worldwide competitiveness.

LG CNS CEO Kim, after getting his Master’s degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering, applied smart technology to various fields in industry. This led LG CNS to gain a competitive edge in Korea, and he also contributed to developing Korea’s IT industry.

Neowiz CEO Na, who graduated with a Master’s Degree in Management Engineering, is a leader of Korea’s IT venture industry and has contributed greatly to the development of the IT industry technology.