The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI, President Myung Sung-ho), the nation's only research institute specializing in electricity, received the Grand Prize in the Research Institute category at the '2021 Korea SNS Awards' in recognition of its outstanding achievements in the field of online promotion.

Now in its 11th year, the 'Korea SNS Awards' is an awards ceremony hosted by the Korea Social Content Promotion Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Influencer Industry Association. It is an award presented to 'social creators' who have successfully communicated with the public through high-quality content, targeting public institutions, local governments, and companies nationwide. The awards ceremony will be held online on October 13.

KERI possesses the largest number of six social media channels (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Naver Blog/Post/TV) among government-funded research institutes in the science and technology sector under the Ministry of Science and ICT. Based on the slogan "Jjirit Jjirit," which means "Know electricity (Jiit) and use it wisely (Jiit)," KERI is receiving much love for actively utilizing timely topics closely related to the daily lives of the people through its cute mascot, "Kokko Makeri."

KERI's content is written at a level that is easy for even young students to understand, and is characterized by the fact that people of all ages can read it without any burden. It provides a large amount of easy and useful content in the fields of electricity-related knowledge (wireless power transmission, electric ships, DC and AC warfare, smart grid, etc.), as well as practical electrical knowledge (how to extend smartphone battery life, how to save on standby power and electricity bills, etc.) and public safety (how to prevent lightning accidents in summer, how to prevent static electricity in winter, how to take precautions against fires on power strips).

In particular, this year, to mark the 10th anniversary of the birth of the institute's official character 'Kokkomakeri,' a design renewal was carried out, and two supporting characters (Grandpa Bobae and Totoka) were added to significantly increase the interest of the content. Based on these characters, a webtoon series is being serialized on Instagram, while vlogs and talk shows featuring the institute itself are being released on YouTube, garnering significant attention from the MZ generation.

Thanks to these efforts, KERI’s social media channels record over 1 million content views annually and are showing quantitative and qualitative growth based on having a total of over 25,000 loyal fans (followers). As a result, KERI has demonstrated a strong presence by sweeping various awards ceremonies representing the domestic field of online communication, including not only the 'Korea Social Media Awards' but also the 'Korea Internet Communication Awards' and the 'Korea Communication Awards'.

Moon So-min, Head of External Relations at KERI, said, “We were able to receive this honorable award thanks to the support of KERI’s SNS fans,” adding, “As the importance of non-face-to-face promotion grows due to COVID-19, as a government-funded research institute, we will contribute to the popularization of science culture with more substantial and helpful content.”

Meanwhile, KERI is a government-funded research institute specializing in electricity under the National Science and Technology Research Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT.