Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation hosts climate tech public lecture series

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation announced Thursday that it held the "2026 Green Society Public Lecture Series" on Wednesday at Ondream Society in Myeong-dong, Seoul, to share the significance of climate technology research and broaden public engagement with those interested in addressing the climate crisis.

Held under the theme "Energy Trilogy: How Climate Tech Is Transforming Energy Production, Conversion and Use," the event was designed as an interactive lecture series to explain, in terms accessible to the next generation, the climate technologies enabling the energy transition and to discuss how those technologies can be applied across real industries and society.

The event opened with a keynote address by Kang Su-il, deputy director of the UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (UN CTCN) Korea Cooperation Liaison Office. Speaking on "Climate Technology Innovation and Cooperation for Climate Change Response," Kang said international cooperation and evidence-based technology transfer are essential for climate technologies to move beyond the research and development stage and into real-world deployment and wider adoption.

A panel discussion followed, moderated by KBS meteorology reporter Shin Bang-sil, who helped break down complex climate technologies for a general audience. Three startups participating in the foundation's climate tech development project, Green Society, took the stage to present the current state and potential of their respective technologies, organized around the three pillars of the energy transition: production, conversion and use.

Yu Seong-jong, head of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, representing team Eco Hydro, introduced eco-friendly hydrogen production technology. Seong Tae-hyeon, CTO of Huject, then presented technology aimed at reducing energy losses and improving efficiency during energy use. Kang Ji-seong, CEO of Korea Grid Forming, introduced grid stabilization technology — an area of growing importance as renewable energy expands.

Jeong Mu-seong, chairman of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, said the energy transition is a core challenge in responding to the climate crisis and that realizing it requires not only technological development but also broad social understanding and public buy-in. "We will continue to support the spread of climate technologies from the laboratory into real industries and society through Green Society, and we will keep creating forums to discuss the potential of climate technology together with the next generation," he said.

Meanwhile, the foundation has been carrying out a range of activities in pursuit of its social responsibilities, including recently selecting the final 20 participants for the 14th cohort of CMK Impactpreneur, its social innovation entrepreneur development program.

CMK Impactpreneur is part of the foundation's flagship social innovation startup support initiative, Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Entrepreneurship, and operates under a new name rebranded from the former H-Ondream Startup Ground.