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KAIST announced that its Board of Trustees elected Oh Hyun Kwon, former Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics and Chairman of the Orange Planet startup foundation, as its new chair at the board’s 298th extraordinary meeting in Seoul on September 21, 2026. Prior to the election, Kichul Cha, a KAIST trustee and CEO of InBody, had served as acting chair since the term of former Chair Myung Ja Kim ended in late June.
Kwon earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Seoul National University in 1975, a master’s degree in the same field from KAIST in 1977, and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1985. He joined Samsung in 1985 as a researcher at its Semiconductor Research Institute in the United States. In 1992, he led the development of the world’s first 64Mb DRAM, helping lay the foundation for Samsung’s strategy of building a decisive technological lead over its competitors.
An engineer who rose through the ranks to become a leading business executive, Kwon served as President and Head of Device Solutions Division, Samsung Electronics from 2008 to 2011 and as Vice Chairman and CEO from 2012 to 2017. From 2017 to 2020, he held the positions of Chairman at both Samsung Electronics and the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. He is credited with helping propel South Korea's semiconductor industry to global leadership.
After stepping back from corporate management, Kwon served as President of the Korea Invention Promotion Association from 2021 to 2022 and as the seventh Chair of Seoul National University’s Board of Trustees from 2023 to 2025. In September 2025, he became the first business executive to chair the Committee on Mid- to Long-Term Strategy Committee, now under the Ministry of Planning and Budget (then called the Ministry of Economy and Finance). He has also chaired Orange Planet since 2021, supporting young entrepreneurs.
His honors include the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit in 2009, the Korea Best Scientist and Engineer Award in 2014, the Inchon Award in Industrial Technology category in 2012, and the Dasan Technology Award in 1997. He is also the author of Super Gap (2018) and Again, Super Gap (2020).
Kwon has maintained close ties with his alma mater, KAIST. In 2018, for instance, he became the first KAIST alumnus to receive an honorary doctorate from the university, earning the distinction in business administration. He also helped establish the Kwon Oh Hyun Assistant Professor program, which provides annual support for promising faculty members pursuing creative and ambitious research in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biological sciences, and engineering.
Kwon joined the KAIST Board of Trustees at its 297th extraordinary meeting in August before being elected chair at the September meeting.
His term as chair runs from September 21, 2026, the date of the board resolution, through August 19, 2029, when his term as a trustee expires. Drawing on his experience in building Samsung’s technological leadership, Kwon is expected to help KAIST advance innovation in research and education and further strengthen its global competitiveness.(END)
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