The Hoam Foundation on Tuesday announced six winners of the 2026 Samsung Hoam Awards in science, engineering, medicine, arts and social service. This year’s recipients range from their 30s to 70s and include 3 Korean scholars working overseas in the United States and Denmark.

The winners were selected after four months of screening by a panel of 46 experts from South Korea and abroad, including Nobel laureates, and an advisory committee of 45 overseas scholars. On-site checks were also conducted. The science award is split into physics and mathematics, and chemistry and life sciences.

Sungjin Oh (오성진), 37, a professor at UC Berkeley in the United States, wins the science award in physics and mathematics. Oh identified instability inside black holes using nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations, contributing to solving fundamental problems in mathematics and physics. He was also selected as an invited speaker at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians in recognition of the achievement.

Taesik Yoon (윤태식), 51, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, wins the chemistry and life sciences award. Yoon developed an organic synthesis methodology that uses transition metals as photocatalysts to induce bond-forming reactions of complex organic molecules using only visible light.

Beomman Kim (김범만), 79, an emeritus professor at POSTECH, wins the engineering award. Kim developed a technology that simultaneously achieves high efficiency, high linearity and high output in radio-frequency power amplifiers, and it is expected to play a key role in implementing future 6G mobile communications systems.

The medicine award goes to Eva Hoffmann, 51, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Hoffmann identified the principle behind chromosome segregation errors that occur during meiosis in human eggs, contributing to uncovering the root causes of chromosome abnormality disorders including infertility, miscarriage and Down syndrome.

Sumi Jo (조수미), 63, wins the arts award. The soprano has performed for 40 years in leading roles on top stages worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Vienna State Opera. She has also led international exchanges through music, including establishing the Sumi Jo International Singing Competition and working as a UNESCO Artist for Peace.

Dongchan Oh (오동찬), 58, head of medical services at Sorokdo National Hospital, wins the social service award. Oh, a dentist, has treated Hansen’s disease patients on Sorok Island in South Jeolla Province for more than 30 years and treated hundreds of patients with surgeries he developed, including lip reconstruction. Since 2005, he has continued medical volunteering for Hansen’s disease patients overseas, including in the Philippines and Cambodia.

Each winner will receive a certificate, medal and prize money of 300 million won, and the awards ceremony will be held on June 1. Since the first awards in 1991 through this year’s 36th awards, the Hoam Foundation has produced a total of 188 winners and awarded total prize money of 37.9 billion won.