The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) held an online ceremony to commemorate its 45th anniversary in the international conference room of Building 7 of the research institute on the 5th, and encouraged the research achievements of its employees through awards such as the Researcher of the Year Award.

This year's ETRI Researcher Award went to Park Jeon-gyu, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Lab at the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, who spearheaded the development of AI-powered foreign language learning technology for non-face-to-face education and led a paradigm shift in related industries.

Director Park Jeon-gyu laid the foundation for commercializing non-face-to-face English and Korean speaking learning in public education by applying voice recognition and dialogue processing technologies to EBS's "AI Pengtok" and the Sejong Hakdang Foundation's "AI Sejong Hakdang Teacher," and also transferred around 10 related technologies.

The National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) Chairman's Award, which is given to researchers who have contributed to the safety and convenience of the public through outstanding research achievements, was awarded to Kwon Young-soo, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Jeong Tae-sik, Director of the Communications and Media Research Institute, and Lee Seung-hwan, Director of the Planning Headquarters.

At this event, the late Dr. Ahn Byeong-seong was selected as a person of merit in science and technology and was awarded a special award in recognition of his contributions to laying the foundation for an ICT powerhouse.

Dr. Ahn developed Korea's first minicomputer, Sejong 1, and THe was in charge of the DX project and made a significant contribution to the development of information and communication technology in Korea, including inventing the first TV remote control and electronic calculator in Korea.

In addition, FR Tech Co., Ltd. received an award for its outstanding commercialization efforts, including jointly developing technologies with ETRI to expand 5G coverage and resolve indoor radio shadow areas, and exceeding KRW 20.3 billion in cumulative sales.

ETRI President Kim Myung-jun said, "I sincerely thank all my colleagues who have diligently worked to help ETRI grow into an institution that transcends time and gold. I hope you will continue to actively participate in fulfilling our role as a leading institution in fostering national and global intelligence."

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the institute allowed only the representative award recipients to attend the founding anniversary ceremony and broadcast it live on the institute's internet.