4 SKKU Scholars Named to Education Ministry’s 2025 Top 50 Research Achievements, the Highest Nationwide

- Recognized for exceptional research achievements in both 

the Humanities & Social Sciences and Science & Engineering fields

▲ From left: Professor Kyungho Kim (Institute of East Asian Studies), Professor Han Jung Lee (Department of English Language and Literature), Professor Sungeun Chung (School of Media and Communication), Professor Jaeki Jeong (Department of Energy Science)

Our university achieved a remarkable milestone as four of our faculty members were selected for the Ministry of Education’s “2025 Top 50 Outstanding Academic Research Achievements.” The selected scholars are Professors Kyungho Kim (Institute of East Asian Studies), Han Jung Lee (Department of English Language and Literature) and Sungeun Chung (School of Media and Communication) in the Humanities & Social Sciences field, and Professor Jaeki Jeong (Department of Energy Science) in the Science & Engineering field. This represents the highest number of selections among all universities nationwide, reaffirming the exceptional research excellence of our faculty.

The “Top 50 Outstanding Academic Research Achievements” program has been implemented since 2006 to identify and broadly disseminate excellent research outcomes that have made significant contributions in their respective academic fields. Selections are made annually across three categories: Humanities & Social Sciences, Science & Engineering, and Korean Studies.

This year, a total of 245 candidate achievements were submitted through open applications and recommendations, based on research outputs from the 2024 Academic Research Support Program. After a comprehensive evaluation of originality, excellence, and academic contribution, 50 achievements were selected.

Professor Kyungho Kim, who has long explored the culture and thought of East Asia, was recognized for his work conducted under the Humanities Korea Plus (HK+) Project. His research offers new interpretations of diverse themes—such as institutions, gender, translation, and art—centered on shared historical and lived experiences across East Asia.

Professor Han Jung Lee was selected for her research analyzing how the structural complexity of Korean noun phrases in everyday conversation affects communication, and for identifying the key principles that govern the use of linguistic structures.

Professor Sungeun Chung was recognized for research examining how people’s emotional responses to “underdog success narratives” influence empathy and sharing behavior on social media, thereby identifying psychological mechanisms underlying empathy and sharing on digital platforms.

Professor Jaeki Jeong, selected in the Science & Engineering category, was recognized for his research on developing high-efficiency perovskite optoelectronic devices based on ICT convergence, highlighting their potential contributions to the field of eco-friendly energy materials.

The selected “Top 50 Outstanding Academic Research Achievements” will be compiled into a results booklet and published on the Ministry of Education’s website (https://moe.go.kr).