□ DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) announced that, in collaboration with the Kiturami Cultural Foundation, it successfully held the “2026 Kiturami Scholarship Award Ceremony” at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 24th, 2026, at the E1 Convention Hall on campus. The objective was to foster future science and technology talent. During the ceremony, scholarships totaling KRW 50 million, along with scholarship certificates, were presented to 50 DGIST students dedicated to their studies and research.
□ The ceremony was attended by DGIST President Kunwoo Lee, Kiturami Group Chairman Jinmin Choi, key officials from both organizations, and scholarship recipients, highlighting the spirit of partnership and sharing.
□ Established in 1985, the Kiturami Cultural Foundation has continued its scholarship program for 41 years, based on Chairman Jinmin Choi’s philosophy that “everyone should have equal access to educational opportunities.” To date, it has supported approximately 70,000 scholarship recipients nationwide, and the cumulative amount returned to society through the Kiturami Cultural Foundation and the Kiturami Welfare Foundation has reached KRW 61 billion.
□ “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Chairman Jinmin Choi, whose deep passion for engineering has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Korea’s industry and engineering,” said DGIST President Kunwoo Lee. “The scholarships presented today not only recognize our students’ dedication but also carry a heartfelt message of encouragement to pursue even greater dreams. I hope DGIST and the Kiturami Group will continue to build a strong partnership in fostering future talent and advancing science and technology.”
□ “Just as I came to Seoul in 1960 with nothing and was able to build the Kiturami Group through the support of many invaluable people I met along the way, the advanced technologies our group has accumulated—from cooling systems for nuclear power plants and immersion cooling for AI data centers to micro combined heat and power generation—have always been driven by a passion for innovation,” said Kiturami Group Chairman Jinmin Choi. “I sincerely hope that all of you, as DGIST scholarship recipients, will pursue ambitious dreams, grow into outstanding science and technology professionals, and one day join us in changing the world.”
□ “The scholarship meant far more than financial support; it came to us as a heartfelt expression of encouragement for our dreams,” said Seyoon Lee, a senior in the School of Undergraduate Studies, speaking on behalf of the scholarship recipients. “Inspired by this spirit of sharing, I hope to one day share the knowledge I have gained, become a mentor who supports the growth of younger students, and lead a life that cares for those in need in our local communities.”
□ Meanwhile, treating this collaboration with the Kiturami Cultural Foundation—which has taken the lead in fostering talent through its scholarship programs each year—as an opportunity, DGIST plans to further expand its exchange and cooperation with the Kiturami Group. In addition, the university will continue to strengthen its scholarship and student welfare programs in diverse ways so that students can fully devote themselves to their studies and research without financial hardship, with the goal of cultivating world-class interdisciplinary science and technology talent and contributing to the advancement of the nation’s science and technology.
