The Korean Optoelectronics Engineering Society (President Yong‑Hun Cho) held its inauguration ceremony and the 1st Winter Conference at Jinsudang Hall, JBNU on the 26th, declaring a new leap forward.

The society traces its origins to the LED and Semiconductor Lighting Society, founded in 2007, and the Korean Optoelectronics Society, launched in 2010, which merged to form the Korean LED and Optoelectronics Society in 2017. In response to the recent expansion of academic domains and growing demand for convergent technologies, it has officially launched under the new name Korean Optoelectronics Engineering Society, announcing the formal opening of the era of optoelectronic engineering convergence.

Optoelectronic engineering is a discipline based on the interaction between light and electrons, encompassing technologies such as LEDs, lasers, photonic integrated circuits, optical sensors, solar cells, and quantum photonic devices. It forms the technological foundation for future industries including next‑generation semiconductors, high‑resolution displays, ultra‑high‑speed communications, LiDAR, optical neural networks, renewable energy, and quantum communications. Recently, its strategic importance has been further emphasized in convergent areas such as co‑packaged optics (CPO) and autonomous driving.

The 1st Winter Conference, the society's first official academic event held alongside its launch, provided a comprehensive overview of the latest research outcomes and industry trends in the field of optoelectronic engineering. With active participation from members, the event featured a record number of presentations and sponsoring and exhibiting companies. A diverse program included keynote lectures, tutorials, a special session hosted by ICMOVPE, and oral and poster presentations.

In particular, the newly introduced 'Lunch+Insight' program, which enabled natural interaction between companies and researchers, was evaluated as expanding practical touchpoints for industry–university collaboration.

The inauguration was attended by inaugural president Professor Yong‑Hun Cho of KAIST, who delivered the opening remarks; Yang O‑bong, President of JBNU, who gave a welcome address; and former presidents representing the three predecessor societies, who gathered to reflect on the society's history and development and to share a new vision.

In his opening remarks, President Cho called the launch "a turning point that inherits the society's more than 18 years of tradition and achievements and leaps toward the future," and added, "Through this launch we will further strengthen our international standing and grow into a central society leading the era of advanced technology convergence."

President Yang also said, "I hope the launch of the Korean Optoelectronics Engineering Society will lead to a meaningful journey toward global technological leadership in advanced fields that are directly connected to the future of humanity."

Through the launch declaration, the Korean Optoelectronics Engineering Society presented the following primary initiatives: strengthening academic depth; expanding convergent research; revitalizing industry–academia–research collaboration; expanding international academic exchange; and nurturing next‑generation researchers. Members resolved together to advance as a central society leading the era of advanced technology convergence. The launch simultaneously proclaimed both the historical succession and future vision of the optoelectronic engineering field, attracting attention from academia and industry.