Road professionals of exception - IRF names top individual award

Dr Kyung-Soo Yoo, an IRF Fellow (Class of 1979) and one of the chief architects behind Korea's world-class road connectivity programs has been nominated to receive IRF's most distinguished individual honour
November 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
South Korea’s roads have benefited in terms of safety in particular from Dr Kyung-Soo Yoo’s influence
Dr Kyung-Soo Yoo, an IRF Fellow (Class of 1979) and one of the chief architects behind Korea's world-class road connectivity programs has been nominated to receive IRF's most distinguished individual honour


Established in 1951, 2462 IRF's Professional of the Year award recognises eminent public, private and education sector professionals with an outstanding track record of leadership and commitment to the road transport industry. Over the years, the award has recognised some of the world's most influential transport leaders for their work in the field of advocacy, policy, research and educational programs in support of better, safer, and more sustainable road networks globally.

An IRF Fellowship Scholar, Dr Kyung-Soo Yoo graduated from Ohio State University in 1980 before returning to the Korea Highway Corporation as a Highway & Traffic Engineer. In 2005, Dr Yoo was appointed to run the Highway & Transportation Technology Institute affiliated to the Korea Highway Corporation. He later took on a series of leadership roles across Korean and International Associations, including the Korea Road Association, the Korea Society of Intelligent Transportation Systems and the 6432 Road Engineering Association of Asia & Australasia. These positions were successively held as Korea grew in the international ranking of countries with the highest performing road system and a continuous record of declining road traffic injuries.

Accepting the award, Dr Yoo stated: "Being an IRF member and receiving an IRF Fellowship has had a positive and dramatic impact on my whole life. With much responsibility, I am honoured to be the 2017 recipient of the IRF Professional of the Year and I will do my best to continue to have a meaningful contribution to the road industry for the rest of my career."

IRF Chairman Eng. Abdullah A Al-Mogbel noted, "The award crowns an exceptional professional whose vision and efforts have contributed significantly to Korea's international standing and strengthened relations with the International Road Federation."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • David Goodyear elected to prestigious National Academy of Engineering
    February 15, 2013
    David Goodyear, P.E., S.E., T.Y. Lin International Senior Vice President and Chief Bridge Engineer, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Election to the NAE is regarded as one of the highest and most exclusive professional distinctions that can be awarded an engineer in the United States. One of only 69 new American members elected from a highly-competitive field of over 500 nominations, Goodyear was cited “for leadership in concrete segmental, cable-stayed, and hybrid
    Read More
  • TANROADS wins iRAP Gary Liddle Trophy
    February 26, 2025
    The winner and finalists were announced during the Ten Steps to 2030 for Safer Road Infrastructure Side Event of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech, Morocco.
    Read More
  • The father of asset management speaks on the development of the concept
    May 24, 2016
    World Highways caught up with man who developed the concept of asset management for roads in the 1960s. Dr Ralph Haas is still researching in his native Canada, and commenting on potholes. The e-mail was brief. “You won't believe this, but I think I'm the last person on the planet without a cell phone.” That was quite an admission from Ralph Haas, distinguished Canadian professor emeritus. He was one of several civil engineers in the 1960s who developed the concept of managing roads as an integrated
    Read More
  • IRF launching Young Professionals Programme
    August 17, 2015
    The International Road Federation (IRF) Geneva is reaching out to the next generation of leaders and professionals by launching the IRF Young Professionals Programme (IRF-YPP) The IRF YPP provides young professionals involved with the road and mobility sectors a platform for communicating with their peers, exchanging ideas, getting involved and contributing new ideas to the road sector, and engaging with the IRF. The mission of the IRF-YPP is to present young professionals with opportunities for their
    Read More

Highlighted Content