Kim Myung-Hwan, the inaugural recipient of the POSCO TJ Park Technology Prize in 2017 and current Director of the Next-Generation Secondary Battery Strategic Research Group at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), has been officially appointed as the first National Distinguished Researcher at a government-funded research institute in the field of science and technology.

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The National Distinguished Researcher system was newly introduced under the “Regulations on the Operation of Government-Funded Research Institutes in the Field of Science and Technology” to enhance the research competitiveness of these institutes by enabling the recruitment of top-tier talent. Previously, limitations in recruitment procedures and compensation under the existing public institution management framework made it difficult to attract leading domestic and international scholars. However, this new system allows for special recruitment without public announcements and offers exceptional compensation without mandatory retirement, making such appointments more flexible and attractive.

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Mr. Kim is recognized as Korea’s foremost battery expert, having served as President of LG Chem and LG Energy Solution. In 1996, he was appointed the inaugural Head of the Battery Development Team at LG Chem, where he successfully led the development and commercialization of Korea’s first lithium-ion battery core technology. He also laid the foundation for domestic production of lithium-ion batteries, which had previously relied entirely on imports.

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In the 2000s, he pioneered the large-scale battery sector and led the world’s first commercialization of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, playing a key role in propelling Korea to the forefront of the global secondary battery industry.

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Mr. Kim’s contributions include the development of the Safety Reinforced Separator (SRS), now a global industry standard; the creation and application of the world’s first ternary NCM523 cathode material for cylindrical batteries; and the first application of high-nickel cathodes in automotive batteries. He also spearheaded the development and mass production of EV batteries for major global automakers, making Korea a leading force in the global secondary battery market.

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As the head of his research group, Mr. Kim is expected to tackle technical challenges in the development of next-generation batteries such as all-solid-state batteries with no explosion risk, and to secure core technologies across the full cycle of next-generation secondary batteries—from materials and electrodes to cells.