QRT 主席 Kim Young-boo 獲頒銅塔產業服務功勳勳章

QRT chairman Kim Young-boo, sixth from left, receives the Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit at the 19th Semiconductor Day ceremony on Oct. 21.

QRT chairman Kim Young-boo received the Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit at the 19th Semiconductor Day ceremony held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam, Seoul, on Oct. 21. He was recognized for establishing quality analysis and reliability testing infrastructure for the semiconductor industry and supporting technological independence among South Korean companies.

The Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit is a national decoration awarded by the president to individuals who have made significant contributions to industrial development. It recognizes technological and management achievements in industry and contributions to the national economy.

Kim has provided testing infrastructure to artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor startups and small and midsize fabless companies that face difficulties securing expensive equipment and specialized personnel. Since 2018, QRT has participated as an implementing organization in a reliability infrastructure support program, providing technical consulting to more than 200 fabless companies.

Over the past three years, QRT has invested approximately 80 billion won to expand advanced reliability analysis equipment and research facilities. The company has also led efforts to localize sophisticated testing equipment that has traditionally relied heavily on foreign suppliers. QRT independently developed a system for verifying neutron-induced soft errors in semiconductors and radio-frequency high-temperature operating life (RF-HTOL) testing equipment for evaluating the reliability and operating lifespan of RF semiconductors at high temperatures.

Kim is a semiconductor industry executive with about 40 years of experience dating back to the early development of South Korea’s semiconductor industry. He previously worked at Daeduck Electronics, Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Electronics, now SK hynix. Since taking the helm of QRT in 2014, he has focused on building capabilities to verify the quality and lifespan of semiconductor products.

QRT specializes in semiconductor reliability testing and comprehensive failure analysis. The company tests whether semiconductors meet performance and lifespan requirements under operating conditions and investigates failures by analyzing electrical characteristics and internal structures. It helps customers incorporate analysis results into product designs and manufacturing processes to ensure quality. QRT also develops and supplies reliability testing equipment.

At the ceremony, Dongjin Semichem chairman Lee Jun-hyuk received the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, while Samsung Electronics executive vice president Lee Jong-myung received the Silver Tower Order. Kim and SK hynix executive vice president Kwon Jae-soon received the Bronze Tower Order. A total of 54 government awards and 30 Korea Semiconductor Industry Association Chairman’s Awards were presented to individuals recognized for their contributions to the semiconductor industry.