Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Hanwha Life Insurance to support Korea's International Olympiad in Informatics team
From left, Jung Woo-sung, president of the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity; Kim Joong-won, head of the management division at Hanwha Life Insurance; and Kim Dong-yoon, honorary chairman of the Korea Information Science Education Federation, pose after signing a memorandum of understanding to support Korea's national team competing at the 2026 International Olympiad in Informatics at 63 Square in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Hanwha Life Insurance
By Park Han-sol
Hanwha Life Insurance has signed a memorandum of understanding to support Korea’s national team competing at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), following the country’s first-ever clean sweep of four gold medals at the prestigious programming contest last year, the insurer said Friday.
The IOI is one of the annual International Science Olympiads that brings together the world’s top secondary school students in computer programming under the age of 20. The competition spans two days, with contestants solving three algorithmic programming problems during a five-hour session each day.
Hanwha Life began sponsoring the national team last year as part of its efforts to nurture young talent in computer science amid growing demand for expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies.
With the insurer’s backing, the team’s training program expanded from primarily online instruction to intensive residential training camps.
The enhanced program coincided with a historic result at last year’s competition, where all four members of the Korean team won gold medals — the country’s best performance since making its IOI debut in 1992.
Under this year’s partnership, Hanwha Life will continue funding the students’ training and participation in the competition. The team will remain at the insurer’s Life Park training institute through next month before traveling to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where this year’s IOI will be held from Aug. 9.
The company also plans to foster a long-term talent network by bringing together former IOI participants, teachers and educators.
“It is deeply meaningful to help the next generation of computer science talent showcase their abilities on the global stage,” said Kim Joong-won, head of the management division at Hanwha Life Insurance. “We will continue supporting educational initiatives that give students the foundation they need to reach their full potential.”