President Akihiro Nikkaku of Toray Industries Inc. is presented with the Industrial Merit Gold Medal at the 2018 Day for Foreign Enterprises held on Nov. 5 at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Seoul. (Photo: MOTIE) / (Inset) President Akihiro Nikkaku of Toray Industries Inc. (Photos:TAK)

President Akihiro Nikkaku of Toray Industries Inc. of Japan won the Industrial Merit Gold Medal on the 2018 Day for Foreign Enterprises held at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Seoul on Nov. 5.

The Japanese CEO - who was named to head the Japanese synthetic textile firm in 2010 - won the top award presented on the day in recognition of his achievements while running the company.

Those achievements include the company’s continuous investment and exports of high-tech items to Korea, and leading the company faithful to the ideal that one must always do his or her best to keep up with the principles.

Toray first tied its fate to Korea in 1963 by exporting its nylon production technology. Since then it has continued to make investments in Korea, making a huge contribution to the Korean economy and its industrial development.

As if that’s not enough, the Japanese company recently announced a new investment of 1 trillion won in Korea by 2020.

In January this year, the company announced the establishment of the Korea Toray Science Promotion Foundation dedicated to public contribution activities including giving financial supports to such public projects as those which are initiative and challenging in nature and awarding outstanding scientists, among others.

The company has also been working on a plan to set up an R&C Center to train manpower and improving competitive power of the manufacturing sector for continued growth of the high-tech industry in Korea.

In the meantime, President Nikkaku delivered an opening speech at the 2018 Foreign Investment Week on Dec. 6 on the results of Toray’s operation in Korea and its future visions.

Some 1,500 representing 211 foreign corporate investors including Toray ,81 foreign companies and 25 foreign and domestic media firms attended the even,t which was hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Kotra.

Senior Director Kim Young-seob in charge of the Film Business Headquarters of Toray High-tech Material won the Presidential Citation at the Korea Technology Grand Award presentation ceremony held on Dec. 5.

He was recognized for his meritorious achievement in the area of the industrial technology promotion for leading the high-tech Film Business Headquarters of Toray High-tech Material successfully.

The technology award is presented to widely publicize the excellence of the Korean industrial technologies hosted by MOTIE and presented to technicians and institutions to found the base for technology development and reform, promotion of cooperation between academics and industry and commercialization of new technologies.

Toray High-tech Materials participated in the 2018 JEC Asia held from Nov.14-16 at COEX in Seoul, to display the multiple materials to show off its position as top maker of those multiple high-tech materials in the world.

The company brought carbon textiles and products made with materials besides the display of two new products. The line of the materials can meet diverse customer demands, attracting a huge attention from the audience.

Among the VIPs who visited its booth at the JEC Asia included Gov. Song Ha-jin of North Jeolla Province, and French Amb. Fabien Penon in Seoul to receive the briefings on the high-tech materials on display at the booth, helping the Japanese company to build a network for its exploration of the Korean market.

Some 250 firms from 30 countries all over the world participated in the global high-tech materials exhibition in its 11th year of operation this year.