Kookmin University's Oh Se-wook wins 33rd Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Academic Award

The Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Foundation held the 33rd Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Academic Award ceremony Tuesday at the Daejeon Convention Center, jointly with the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology.

This year's recipient is Oh Se-wook, a professor at Kookmin University. Oh contributed to securing a US patent for selective media targeting pathogenic microorganisms and commercializing it, leading to its listing as an officially recognized medium in Korea's food standards codex. His research on rapid detection and control technologies for foodborne pathogens has also helped strengthen the food industry's response capabilities. He has published more than 150 papers, including research on non-thermal sterilization technologies such as cold plasma and UV treatment. The foundation presented Oh with a trophy and a prize of 30 million won ($19,300).

Established in 1996, the Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Foundation began providing scholarships to 14 students at five universities in 1997. It has since distributed 10.3 billion won in scholarships to approximately 1,587 university students through the first half of 2026. The foundation created the Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Academic Award in 2009 to recognize professors and researchers who have contributed to the advancement of the food industry, and presents it annually. A total of 32 people had received the honor through last year.