Electrical Engineering student Jong-yeop Seon receives the Minister of Education Award at the 2025 Talent Award of Korea.
Jong-yeop Seon, a fourth-year undergraduate in the POSTECH Department of Electrical Engineering, advised by Professor Young-Jin Kim with Professor Yo-Seb Jeon supervising the design project, received the Minister of Education Award at the 2025 Talent Award of Korea. The award recognizes Seon’s potential as a future national talent through deep-tech student entrepreneurship.
Organized by the Ministry of Education and administered by the Korea Student Aid Foundation, the Talent Award of Korea is a leading national award for young people. Established in 2001, it identifies and encourages individuals who create new value for the future and contribute to their communities through creativity and passion. This year, 100 recipients were selected: 40 in the high school and youth category and 60 in the university and general young adult category.
In 2021, while studying at POSTECH, Seon founded the deep-tech startup Lutra with two classmates. The company uses blockchain and AI to address image forgery and provide technology that meets societal needs.
In 2023, Seon became the youngest Korean recipient of a CES Innovation Award in the United States, earning recognition for technological competitiveness. Continued achievements in domestic and international deep-tech licensing have drawn attention to this example of student entrepreneurship combining technical strength with public benefit.
In recognition of these achievements, Seon spoke on behalf of the award recipients at the ceremony. “My personal goal of living happily developed into a commitment to creating a happier society, and entrepreneurship became a way to put that commitment into practice,” Seon said. “Building on the research habits and willingness to take on challenges that I learned at POSTECH, I hope to keep solving social problems through technology after graduation and create products that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”
The 2025 Talent Award of Korea ceremony took place on December 24 at the Sejong Government Convention Center. The Minister of Education personally presented awards to all 100 recipients and offered congratulations and encouragement.
Beyond an individual achievement, the award demonstrates the quality of the POSTECH Department of Electrical Engineering’s education, research capabilities, and student entrepreneurship environment. As an example of an undergraduate creating social value through research and entrepreneurship, it is expected to inspire other students to pursue challenges that connect academic learning with practice.