Environment ministry awards 34 hydrogen honours at KINTEX ceremony

The environment ministry awarded 34 citations to people and organizations that have worked to build South Korea's hydrogen economy, at a Hydrogen Day ceremony on Wednesday that also opened Asia's largest hydrogen industry exhibition.

The ceremony at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, drew about 300 people from industry, academia and research, including Vice Minister Lee Ho-hyun and Korea Hydrogen Union Chairman Kim Jae-hong, the ministry said.

Kang Kyung-soo, head of the Korea Institute of Energy Research, and Kim Wan-jin, chief executive of YL Energy Technology, each received an industrial medal. Lee Kyung-sil, chief executive of Kohygen, received a presidential citation, and Chungju city in North Chungcheong Province received a prime ministerial citation. The remaining 30 citations were awarded by the minister.

Hydrogen Day is a statutory anniversary set for Nov. 2. This year's ceremony was moved to Nov. 4 to coincide with the World Hydrogen Expo 2026, which runs through Nov. 6 at the same venue. The expo comprises an exhibition involving about 200 companies and institutions and a global conference.

Lee also attended the fourth International Clean Hydrogen Forum held alongside the expo that afternoon, where he encouraged hydrogen officials from home and abroad.

"Hydrogen is a key means of decarbonizing industries where cutting greenhouse gases is difficult, and it plays an important role in the green transition," Lee said. "The government will set out policy directions for the hydrogen industry to take a new leap forward and create an ecosystem in which the production and use of domestic clean hydrogen reinforce each other."