The Next Generation Convergence Technology Research Institute (Director Yeon-sang Kim, hereinafter referred to as the Convergence Technology Research Institute), a joint corporation of Gyeonggi Province and Seoul National University, announced on the 22nd that Principal Researcher Gwan-cheol Kim, who successfully developed and verified the world's first 'fine dust scanning lidar' technology, received the Presidential Award for '2025 Republic of Korea Active Administration Merit'.
Kim Gwan-cheol, a senior researcher, was selected as an OECD public sector innovation case in 2024 for his paradigm shift in the way industrial complex air emissions are monitored using fine dust scanning lidar technology and for dramatically improving the efficiency and effectiveness of crackdowns. He was awarded this award in recognition of his contributions to implementing convergent proactive administration that integrates science and technology into public administration and contributes to solving on-site problems.
Following the fact that Yun Gi-won received the Minister of Public Administration and Security Award in the local public institution category at the '2024 Proactive Administration Best Practice Competition' hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety last year, his individual contributions were recognized and he was awarded the Presidential Citation for his '2025 Contribution to Proactive Administration in the Republic of Korea.'
The fine dust scanning lidar system jointly developed by Yonsei University, Samwoo TCS Co., Ltd., and Pukyung National University is the world’s first high-precision observation equipment that can measure the concentration and movement path of various particulate matter pollutants such as ultrafine dust, fine dust, yellow dust, forest fire smoke, etc. in real time in three dimensions with a radius of 5 km and a resolution of 30 m. It fundamentally overcomes the limitations of existing crackdown methods by being able to scan the entire industrial complex densely with a single device and immediately identify the location of high-concentration pollution.
This technology did not stop at laboratory research, but was applied to the Sihwa National Industrial Complex in close collaboration with the Gyeonggi-do Climate and Environment Management Division. It broke away from the existing visit and patrol-centered crackdown method and established a 24-hour unmanned automatic surveillance system and a foundation for simultaneously monitoring a total of 789 atmospheric emission businesses. As a result, through LiDAR-based data analysis, 192 businesses were inspected in detail, 22 illegal emissions were detected, and swift administrative measures were taken.
The introduction of technology has enabled real-time response to changes in fine dust concentration and occurrence of local high concentrations, and has enabled more precise detection of sources of pollution while drastically reducing on-site manpower and the number of patrols. Ultrafine dust (PM2.5) concentration has been visibly reduced, and nighttime and blind spot surveillance has become possible.
Based on these achievements, Gyeonggi Province has decided to introduce two more LiDARs to the Pyeongtaek Poseung National Industrial Complex and the Dongducheon General Industrial Complex in 2025, and is also actively promoting expansion to industrial complexes and metropolitan areas nationwide.
Kim Gwan-cheol, a senior researcher, said, “This technology application is very meaningful and rewarding as a developer as it can contribute to increasing the efficiency of industrial complex environmental monitoring administration based on precise and scientific evidence.” He added, “We will continue to contribute to the creation of a sustainable environment and national health through the nationwide expansion and advancement of data-based environmental monitoring technology, and we will also strive to strengthen disaster response capabilities and public safety through the development and verification of lidar technology for forest fire and fire monitoring.”
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