TLDR: The annual Korea Big Data AI Awards recognized ‘Big Data and AI GURU’ for their significant contributions to management performance through big data and artificial intelligence. Key figures from KB Financial Group, Agile Soda, Shinhan Card, and KISTEP were celebrated for accelerating digital transformation and demonstrating the practical value of AI across various industries, strengthening the national AI sector.
Seoul, South Korea – September 22, 2025 – The prestigious Korea Big Data AI Awards recently honored several distinguished individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in leveraging big data and artificial intelligence to drive management performance and national industrial growth. The awards highlighted critical contributions to accelerating digital transformation and proving the tangible value of AI technology across diverse industrial sectors.
Among the notable recipients was Lee Chang-kwon, head of KB Financial Group, who received a commendation from the Minister of Science and ICT. Lee was recognized for his pivotal role in enabling KB Financial Group to achieve differentiated performance in the financial sector through AI innovation. His leadership in establishing the ‘KB AI Strategy’ and the ‘KB AI Agent Roadmap’ was particularly lauded, underscoring a company-wide commitment to building robust AI infrastructure, establishing effective governance, and cultivating specialized talent. Under Lee’s guidance, KB Financial Group successfully launched a group-wide GenAI platform, the ‘KB GenAI portal,’ a collaborative effort with eight affiliates. This platform provides a tailored development environment for various developer skill levels and supports the entire AI development lifecycle, including learning and evaluation data management, thereby securing a foundation for efficient AI agent development and deployment within the group. Lee Chang-kwon stated, ‘We will expand our AI agents to major business areas within three years to strengthen productivity and customer experience simultaneously. We will present a responsible AI utilization model that leads the industry by developing new services based on the KB GenAI portal and upgrading AI governance.’
Choi Dae-woo, CEO of the AI technology company Agile Soda, was honored with a commendation from the Minister of SMEs and Startups. Agile Soda’s recognition stemmed from its ‘Enterprise AI Full-Stack’ technology, which encompasses the entire process from data processing to AI model development, operation, and service delivery. This technology has been instrumental in accelerating the digital transformation of various industrial sites, including finance, insurance, and manufacturing, thereby strengthening the national AI industry’s competitiveness. Choi Dae-woo emphasized, ‘We will continue to develop various AI agents and take the lead in automating work through AI innovation.’
Ahn Sung-hee, managing director of Shinhan Card’s A&D Research Institute, received the National Statistical Office award. Ahn was recognized for simultaneously leading the expansion of data business and AI innovation within Shinhan Card. With 25 years of experience, Director Ahn is a seasoned expert in data and AI research within the financial sector.
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Kim Eun-jung, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation (KISTEP), was also among the distinguished awardees. The collective efforts of these leaders underscore a significant push towards integrating advanced AI and big data solutions into the core operations of Korean industries, fostering innovation, and enhancing national competitiveness.
