Professor Yong-Seok Kim obtained his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Yonsei University and his master's and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from POSTECH. Since joining the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology in 2002, he has been leading research and development efforts to domesticate materials that Japan has monopolized, such as transparent polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and cyclic olefin polymers. Concurrently, he has successfully conducted research on sulfur-containing polymer materials, smart materials applicable to 3D/4D printing, and passive radiative cooling materials, which are utilized in robotics, the Internet of Things, unmanned transportation, and advanced healthcare, thereby contributing to the advancement of chemical material technology in Korea. As of March 2024, he has been newly conducting education and research in the Department of Chemistry at Sejong University in Seoul.

Key projects he has led include:

• "Design of biaxially oriented heat-resistant polymers and development of high-efficiency condensation technology" (principal investigator, 2 billion won over 4 years),

• "Development of natural material-derived lightweight materials and manufacturing processes for automobiles in response to international environmental regulations" (sub-research leader, 720 million won over 4 years),

• "Development of CCB technology for automobiles using high-impregnation polyamide long fiber composites" (sub-research leader, 900 million won over 5 years),

• "Development of shape memory polymers based on vitrimer chemistry and 3D/4D printing material property control technology" (principal investigator, 1.4 billion won over 3.3 years),

• "Manufacturing process technology development of water-based coating materials for external building radiation cooling for greenhouse gas reduction" (principal investigator, 600 million won over 3 years, ongoing),

• "Development of high-performance, low-cost, chlorine-free resin polymerization technology" (sub-research leader, 970 million won over 5 years).

During his tenure at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, he served as the director of the High-Function Polymer Research Center and the Research Coordination Office, where he played a key role in adjusting the research content and importance for the advancement of the chemical industry. He also led the Smart Chemical Materials 4D Printing Research Group (2019-2022; Ministry of Science and ICT), developing next-generation smart chemical materials and dimension-changing technologies applicable to the bio-health field. In 2020, he was appointed as the head of the Information Electronics Polymer National Laboratory, contributing to the development of high-heat-resistant polyimides, hologram materials, and cyclic olefin materials for the semiconductor and display industries. Since 2022, he has been serving as an expert member of the Materials and Components Division at the National Research Foundation of Korea, contributing to the selection of core technologies related to chemical materials in Korea.

Professor Kim has received numerous awards for his contributions, including the Young Scientist Award from the Japanese Polymer Society Kansai Branch (2005), the Research Excellence Award from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (2007), the Green Management Excellence Award (2014), the Minister of Education, Science and Technology Award on Science Day (2010), the Excellent Professor Award from the University of Science and Technology (2019), and the Prime Minister's Commendation on Science Day (2024).

His research output in the past four years includes 40 papers and 22 patents, notably focusing on converting elemental sulfur—a byproduct of the oil industry generating over 70 million tons annually worldwide—into high-value chemical materials. His work addresses the challenges of hydrogen sulfide emission during production, proposing a new catalytic system for environmentally friendly sulfur-based material manufacturing. Additionally, he has contributed to the development of vitrimer materials, a new concept of materials that possess the properties of thermosetting resins but with the processability of thermoplastics, significantly enhancing their processability and enabling their use in 3D printing. Through projects related to polyphenylene sulfide and natural material-derived lightweight automotive materials, he has played a leading role in developing high-performance engineering plastics essential for the future automotive industry's focus on environmental friendliness and lightweighting.