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LG Group chair calls for customer-oriented innovations during annual corporate award ceremony

Published: 19 Apr. 2026, 16:59 Updated: 19 Apr. 2026, 18:40

LG Chairman Koo Kwang-moo speaks at a podium during the 2026 LG Awards in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LG]

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo called for customer-oriented innovations during an annual corporate award ceremony held earlier this week, the company said on Sunday.

A total of 730 employees and 92 outstanding projects were recognized at the 2026 LG Awards at LG Academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on Thursday.

“Customers tell us that ‘LG in itself is a lifestyle,’ which summarizes why LG exists,” Koo said. “The value that we bring must not be our technology, products or services but [how we make] our customers’ lives better. By focusing on that goal [...] we can offer them a better tomorrow than today.”

Company executives; representatives of the judging panel comprising customers; and award winners attended Thursday’s event. Some 1,000 LG Group employees also watched the ceremony via a livestream.

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-moo, far right in the front row, poses for a photo with prize winners at the 2026 LG Awards in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LG]

This year’s awards highlighted the achievements of the company’s employees in the AI, biotechnology and sustainable technology sectors.

A team specializing in cathode materials at LG Energy Solution won the grand prize for its groundbreaking development of single-crystal high-nickel cathodes. The team’s invention extends the battery lifespan of EVs. The breakthrough is credited for helping secure orders worth trillions of won from global automakers.

Other prize winners included the telematics team from LG Electronics, a division responsible for cylindrical technology at LG Energy Solution, and Penny Butler from AVEO, a U.S.-based oncology firm owned by LG Chem.

The LG Awards, launched in 2019, have been bestowed upon approximately 4,700 recipients and 583 projects to date.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM KYUNG-MI [[email protected]]