Professor Lim Chun-taek of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology has been recognized for his leading technological innovation in the field of wireless power transmission, becoming the first Korean and seventh person in the world to receive the Milan Jovanovic Award.


The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, President Lim Ki-cheol) announced on the 2nd that Professor Lim Chun-taek of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering was selected as the recipient of the '2025 Milan M. Jovanović Award for Power Electronics Emerging Technology' from the Power Electronics Engineering Society (PELS), an affiliate of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest electrical and electronics academic society.

This award is the most prestigious award, given to only one researcher worldwide who has achieved technological leadership and innovation in the field of wireless power transmission, and Professor Lim is the first recipient in Korea and the seventh recipient in the world.

Professor Lim Chun-taek developed a magnetic induction wireless power technology that can stably transmit power over a distance of 12 meters, and holds the world's record for the longest wireless power transmission. His technology has revolutionized the way electric vehicles and mobile devices are charged, and has introduced a new paradigm for high-performance, long-range wireless charging.

In particular, it commercialized OLEV (On-Line Electric Vehicle), a wireless charging technology for electric vehicles, for the first time in the world, enabling 100kW of power to be supplied with 85% efficiency at a distance of 20cm between the ground and the vehicle.

It is positioned as a core element of smart city and eco-friendly transportation infrastructure and presents a new technological direction for the global electric vehicle industry.

Professor Lim developed a '6-degrees of freedom (6-DoF) wireless charging technology' that enables stable wireless charging even in robot and drone environments where the position and direction constantly change, thereby expanding the potential for next-generation electronic device applications.

In addition, the 'Dynamic Phasor' theory, first proposed in the world in 1990, is a key analysis technique that enables the complex characteristics of AC circuits to be interpreted as if they were DC, and contributed to solidifying the academic foundation of power electronics engineering.

He has published 205 papers so far and has applied for over 170 patents. He has been recognized for his excellent academic achievements, including winning the Best Paper Award from IEEE's affiliated society (PELS) and international journal (JESTPE).

In 2024, he was selected as one of the world's top 0.38% electrical and electronic researchers by Elsevier, a global academic information analysis agency, and is also active as an IEEE Fellow. This is evaluated as having made a decisive contribution to raising the level of domestic power electronics research to world-class level.

Professor Lim Chun-taek said, “The wireless power market is expected to be worth about 27.2 billion dollars (about 37 trillion won) this year, and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 13-21% in the future,” and explained, “This is a field that Korea, with its competitiveness in semiconductor and circuit technology, can lead.”

He added, “In the future, we will continue to develop technologies that combine practicality and ripple effect to contribute to industrial development as well as improving the quality of human life.”

The awards will be officially presented at the IEEE Energy Congress (ECCE 2025) to be held in Philadelphia, USA in October 2025, and are expected to serve as an opportunity to look ahead to the future of technology together with the world's leading authorities in the power electronics field.