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International Recognition
Nak-Ho Sung receives Korean National Medal of Honor
For more than 30 years, Nak-Ho Sung, professor and chair of the department of chemical and biological engineering, has traveled to his native Korea to help develop its industrial base. It's a journey he knows well, having gone back and forth to his native Korea some 55 times, a trip that takes a full 24 hours, door-to-door.
Nak-Ho Sung, professor and chair of chemical and biological engineering, receives the Chang-Jo Jang, the highest honor given to scientists and engineers by the Korean government. Photo: Courtesy of Nak-Ho Sung
In May he was willing to make one more trip, this time to receive the 2008 National Medal of Honor, the Chang-Jo Jang, the highest honor given to scientists and engineers by the Korean government. The award recognized Sung for his work in helping to develop Korean industry and for his scholarly achievements in the areas of polymers and interface science. He was also honored for his role in furthering cooperation between Korea and the United States.
"I feel satisfied they recognized my contribution," says Sung, whose efforts helped bring about the manufacture of such products as water bottles, CD cases, videotapes and packaging materials in Korea. He was also responsible for arrangements to have Coca Cola manufacture bottles in Korea.
Sung began his work fostering Korean industry in 1976, when, he says, research and development was almost nonexistent there. "I advised them about what technology to look into and arranged meetings with U.S. and European corporations. I would go for two weeks and give lectures and visit manufacturing plants and research institutes," he says. "Each year I gave a talk on recent trends in industry."
Sung has also been president of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association, a national organization with more than 6,000 members, and was president of the Korean-American University Professors Association of North America, with more than 2,000 members.
