POSCO TJ Park Foundation on Thursday named a nano-medicine expert as the winner of its annual TJ Park Prize for science.

Cheon Jin-woo, professor of chemistry at Yonsei University, won the award for his research in the use of nanotechnology for medical purposes, according to the steelmaker. 

Last year he developed a nano thermotherapy that can burn cancer cells without hurting other tissue, which is expected to enhance the treatment of brain cancer and prostate cancer.

Kwak Jong-moon, principal of Hangyeore Middle and High School, won the TJ Park Prize for education for his contributions in alternative education and helping teenaged North Korean defectors adapt to life in the South.

The foundation awarded the prize for social service to Cambodian human rights activist Somaly Mam, representative of the Somaly Mam Foundation, who has supported victims of human trafficking.

The winners will receive 200 million won in prize money at the award ceremony scheduled for late March.

The foundation, named after POSCO founder Park Tae-joon, has awarded the annual prize for outstanding achievement in the fields of science, education and social services since 2006. 


By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)