Professor Namyoon Lee of POSTECH’s Department of Electrical Engineering has been recognized for his contributions to next-generation network research and for helping strengthen Korea’s competitiveness in communications technology.

Professor Namyoon Lee of POSTECH’s Department of Electrical Engineering recently received a commendation from the Minister of Science and ICT at the 2026 Korea Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS) Summer Conference. The conference was held on June 18 at Haevichi Hotel in Jeju.

Next-generation networks are a key infrastructure connecting future industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and satellites, and are considered a strategic field that will shape national technological competitiveness. Over the past decade, Professor Lee has led research on core technologies for 5G and 6G mobile communications. He was recognized for his contributions to strengthening Korea’s communications technology competitiveness through international academic activities, talent development, and advisory work on national technology policy.

Professor Lee has published 90 papers in major IEEE journals in the fields of communications, signal processing, and information theory, as well as 110 papers at international conferences, and has secured 70 domestic and international patents.

In particular, Deep Polar Code, an error-correction coding technology developed by his research team, achieves performance close to the information-theoretic limit even at short block lengths. It is gaining attention as a key enabling technology for ultra-low-latency and highly reliable 6G communications. The technology is also considered an important foundation for next-generation applications such as future robotic control and physical AI.

Professor Lee has also been active in the international academic community. From 2019 to 2025, he served as an editor for major IEEE journals including IEEE Communications Letters, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, and IEEE Communications Magazine, contributing to the advancement of the field.

In 2025, he was also selected as an Executive Editor of IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, a position held by only eight researchers worldwide.

Since 2024, Professor Lee has also served as a 6G technology advisor to the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), contributing to the development of Korea’s national 6G technology roadmap and the establishment of R&D priorities.

“This recognition will motivate me to make even greater efforts to secure core 6G technologies and foster globally competitive talent,” Professor Lee said. “I will continue to do my best to help strengthen Korea’s global competitiveness in future communications technologies.”

Meanwhile, a total of five representatives from industry and academia received this year’s ministerial commendations in the next-generation network category. In academia, the recipients included Professor Namyoon Lee of POSTECH and Professor Inkyu Lee of Korea University.