Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation Selects Eight for Samsung Happiness Awards, Including Happiness Psychologist Professor Seo Eunguk

Contributed to promoting public happiness and advancing the public interest
Exemplary young people who persevered through adversity
KRW 50 million and KRW 10 million awarded across four categories

The Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation announced on October 21 that it had selected the recipients of the 2026 Samsung Happiness Awards.

The Samsung Happiness Awards are presented annually to individuals who have contributed to promoting public happiness and advancing the public interest, as well as exemplary young people, across four categories: Research & Creativity, Society & Safety, Inclusion & Embrace, and Youth.

Seo Eunguk, 60, a professor at Yonsei University and a happiness psychologist, was selected in the Research & Creativity category. He has emphasized that joyful everyday experiences and positive interactions with others are more important conditions for happiness than material abundance.

The late Seok, 63, director of the Songpa Safety Experience Education Center, was named the recipient in the Society & Safety category. Turning the pain of the 1999 Ssi Land fire into a sense of social responsibility, Seok established the Korea Child Safety Foundation and worked to promote a culture of child safety.

In the Inclusion & Embrace category, the social enterprise OtiStar was selected. Founded in 2012, OtiStar has provided young people with autism and artistic talent with opportunities to work as professional designers.

In the Youth category, the selected recipients were Kwon Youngju, 23, a third-year student at Soongsil University; Jeong Yunseo, 22, a third-year student at the Catholic University of Korea; An Yeeun, 20, a third-year student at Seoul Dasom Tourism High School; Lee Yubin, 18, a third-year student at Seogwipo Industry Science High School; and Kim Taeyang, 17, a second-year student at Wando High School. They are exemplary young people who have continued to strive toward their dreams and hopes despite facing various hardships.

The recipients were selected from candidates recommended by institutions, organizations, and experts from across the country. A selection committee comprising scholars and experts in each field conducted a three-month review, including verification of achievements and on-site inspections.

Recipients in each category will receive a plaque and KRW 50 million. Each recipient in the Youth category will receive KRW 10 million. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. on November 30 at the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.