Kim Kang-hoon, a master's student in the Department of Convergence Management of Technology and CEO of Ssangyong Spinning Co., Ltd., was inducted as a 'Korea Master' by the Korea Masters Association.

The Department of Convergence Management of Technology at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) was established by the Convergence Technology Commercialization and Dissemination Specialized Human Resource Development Project Group (MOT Project Group; Director: Professor Kwon Dae-gyu), which JBNU operates with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

At the induction ceremony held on the 22nd at the Maeheon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall in Seoul, the 28th Korea Masters Induction Ceremony, themed '2021 Dialogue and Proposals for Korea's Culture and Future', a total of 26 masters from various fields were inducted.

Kim Kang-hoon, who was inducted as a Korea Master in the 'hanji thread' category, has worked at a spinning company making thread for 34 years.

After joining Ssangbangwool in 1987, he registered eight invention patents through relentless effort and rose from an ordinary worker to become CEO in 2004. In particular, in 2004 he invented a hanji thread that transformed hanji — long used in limited applications — into an eco-friendly functional fiber, fusing paper and textile to change the paradigm of paper.

Through the development of this hanji thread, he has led efforts to spread Korean culture domestically and abroad, including sponsoring a New York fashion show featuring "Wind's Clothes" (hanbok) made from Lee Young-hee's hanji fabric. He is also committed to training the next generation in the field through Industry–University Collaboration with Wonkwang University and three other universities, and recently showed his dedication by completing entrepreneurship instructor training supported by the MOT Project Group and obtaining certification.

Kim Kang-hoon said, "I will contribute to the development of the textile industry so that the undeserved title of Korea Master in the textile field will not end here. In particular, I want to pass on the methods and factual knowledge accumulated through my various experiences and studies to future generations."