Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group (034730) and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS), emphasized that scholars studying abroad should consider how to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to their areas of expertise. He also urged them to grow into talents who, like tall trees, help others flourish.
According to SK Group on Sunday, Chey said at the "KFAS Young Scholar Awards" ceremony and overseas scholar departure event, held the previous day at the foundation's building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, "As we enter the AI era, the standards for talent are also changing. Scholars must consider how to collaborate with and apply AI in their research and fields of expertise."
The event was attended by about 120 people, including three Young Scholar Award recipients, 33 overseas scholarship students, and Kim Yoo-seok, head of the foundation.
In his encouragement speech, Chey said, "The contribution of one individual is important, but far greater change can be made when many people connect and collaborate. The foundation will continue to serve as a platform so that talents can interact and cooperate to create new social value." He added, "With the spirit of 'eumsusawon' (drink water, remember its source), remember that today's achievements were possible thanks to opportunities created by society, and contribute to society with your talents and capabilities." He continued, "Just as a forest forms when one person grows into a tall tree and other life grows beneath it, I hope each of you will become a tall tree in your own place and create an environment where more people can grow together."
The "KFAS Young Scholar Award," presented for the first time, was established to support early-stage researchers making the leap to independent research after obtaining their doctorate. This year, recipients were selected among social science researchers offering new approaches to social problems. The three winners were Kim Jin-hwan, a professor at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine; Yang Jae-seok, a professor in the Department of Geography at Chonnam National University; and Choi Seok-young, a professor at the School of Communications at Yonsei University. Each recipient receives a total of 40 million won, including research funding, along with support for building academic networks through seminars, peer research exchanges, and mentoring programs with leading scholars at home and abroad.
Kim Yoo-seok, head of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, said, "The KFAS Young Scholar Award is an award that invests in a researcher's potential rather than completed achievements. We will grow it into Korea's leading academic award that helps young scholars freely explore and develop into world-class researchers."
The Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies is a public-interest foundation established in 1974 by the late former chairman Chey Jong-hyon, based on the belief of "ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate talent" (十年樹木 百年樹人). Over the past 52 years, it has supported some 5,300 scholarship students through programs such as its overseas study scholarship system, producing about 1,000 doctorate holders from leading universities worldwide. Chairman Chey Tae-won, who took office as chairman of the foundation in 1998, has operated the "Talent Forest" and "Literary Forest" programs for undergraduate students, going beyond the cultivation of doctorate-level talent. With the establishment of the Young Scholar Award, he has strengthened a growth ecosystem that extends from talent discovery to the development of next-generation researchers.
