Hyungju Kim, Director at Air Products Korea, Receives Presidential Citation.

- Hyungju Kim, Director at Air Products Korea, Receives Presidential Citation.
- Recognized for Attracting KRW 250 Billion in Reinvestment and Strengthening Korea’s Semiconductor and Battery Competitiveness.


Hyungju Kim, Director at Air Products Korea—a global industrial gases company led by CEO Seungrok Kim—received a Presidential Citation on the 13th at the “2025 Foreign Company Day” ceremony hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Hyungju Kim, Director, Business Development & Marketing, Air Products Korea / source=Air Products Korea

Foreign Company Day is an annual government event held every November to commend foreign-invested companies and related institutions that contribute to attracting foreign direct investment, and to encourage continued interest and investment in Korea. Now in its 25th year, this year’s ceremony gathered more than 200 participants, including Minister Jungkwan Kim, the Korea Foreign Company Association, and members of the diplomatic corps.

Since joining Air Products Korea as an executive in 2021, Director Kim has overseen marketing, communications, and business development, and has been recognized for successfully planning and attracting dozens of foreign reinvestment projects over the past four years. In particular, he proactively responded to increasing demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a core component in AI semiconductors, by establishing high-purity industrial gas supply infrastructure for major semiconductor production facilities, as well as for large-scale and diversified battery manufacturing plants. Beyond domestic investments, Kim also led working-level meetings with the U.S. headquarters and multinational experts to provide technical advisory support for Korean companies in semiconductors, batteries, and steel as they expanded into the United States. Leveraging Air Products’ global network, he supported gas supply solutions and cost-optimization strategies for overseas semiconductor and battery plants.

Kim stated, “This honor belongs not to me personally, but to the trust built by all employees of Air Products Korea and our U.S. headquarters,” adding, “I will continue contributing to strengthening the global competitiveness of Korea’s core industries—semiconductors, displays, and batteries.”

Air Products Korea has led the domestic industrial gas market for more than 50 years since entering Korea in 1973 and continues to expand its local investment while preparing a wide range of large-scale projects. The company has also contributed to quality job creation by expanding employment over the past decade and operating the vast majority of its workforce as full-time employees.

At this year’s Foreign Company Day, a total of 42 commendations were awarded, with five recipients—including Director Kim—receiving the Presidential Citation.

By Min-bum Kim(mbkim@donga.com)