IEEE Korea Section

Contents

IEEE Korea Section

The IEEE Korea Section is the national organizational unit of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in South Korea, coordinating activities across metropolitan centers such as Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju and Daejeon. It connects professionals from institutions including KAIST, POSTECH, Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University with multinational corporations like Samsung Electronics, LG Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, SK Hynix and Korea Electric Power Corporation. The Section engages with regional engineering societies such as Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers, Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences, Korean Information Processing Society, and international bodies including IEEE Region 10, IEEE Standards Association, and collaborates with government agencies like Ministry of Science and ICT and national research institutes such as Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

History

The Section traces roots to IEEE expansion into Asia during the postwar era linking pioneers from Seoul National University, KAIST, POSTECH, Pohang University of Science and Technology and corporate laboratories at Samsung Electronics Research Institute, LG Electronics R&D Center, and Hynix Semiconductor with visiting scholars from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Imperial College London. Early milestones involved conferences in Seoul and cooperative projects with National Research Foundation of Korea and exchanges with IEEE Region 10 and societies such as IEEE Communications Society, IEEE Computer Society, IEEE Power & Energy Society. Over decades the Section hosted symposia linked to international events like ICCAS, KCC, ISIE, and member delegations liaised with institutions including Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Governance follows IEEE constitutional structures with elected chairs, secretaries, and treasurers drawn from universities such as Korea University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University, Sungkyunkwan University and industry representatives from Samsung SDI, LG Electronics, Hyundai Heavy Industries, POSCO ICT. The Section coordinates with IEEE Region 10 leadership and national committees from societies including IEEE Signal Processing Society, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, and liaises with standards bodies like IEC-affiliated groups and the Korean Standards Association. Committees address finance, technical program, student activities, professional development, and women in engineering initiatives with partnerships involving IEEE-USA-affiliated programs and IEEE Young Professionals.

The Section organizes conferences, workshops, and symposia tied to events such as IEEE International Conference on Communications, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference-related workshops, and regional meetings including IEEE Region 10 Conference tracks. Programs include continuing education, certification prep in collaboration with Korean Institute of Civil Engineers-adjacent training, industry-academia forums with Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, and startup support connected to Seoul Startup Hub, K-Startup Grand Challenge, Pangyo Techno Valley. Student and young professional activities run competitions like IEEE Student Paper Contest, hackathons co-organized with Naver, Kakao, Coupang, and entrepreneurship mentoring with accelerators such as SparkLabs and D.CAMP.

Membership comprises professionals, students, and affiliates from universities like Seoul National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Yonsei University, and corporations including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor Company. The Section recognizes contributions through awards mirroring IEEE Fellow nominations, Section-level Outstanding Volunteer awards, best paper prizes at local conferences, and student scholarships in partnership with foundations such as Samsung Foundation, LG Sciencepark Foundation, Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies. It supports elevation processes involving nominating references from societies like IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Computer Society.

Collaborations extend to international organizations including IEEE Region 10, IEEE Standards Association, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, and bilateral exchanges with bodies like IEEE Japan Council, IEEE China Council, IEEE Hong Kong Section, and academia such as University of Tokyo, Tsinghua University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University. Outreach initiatives target schools and public institutions such as Korean Ministry of Education, science centers like Gwacheon National Science Museum, community tech events with Seoul Metropolitan Government, and humanitarian technology efforts aligned with IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee. Cross-sector partnerships include research consortia with Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, industrial collaborations with Samsung Research, LG Sciencepark, and startup ecosystems like Pangyo Techno Valley and Seoul Startup Hub.