MCST Selects Three Teams as Winners of the Korean Young Architect Award

[Financial News] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) selected three teams as the winners of the 2026 Korean Young Architect Award: Na Jong-won of Of Architecture Limited; Minho Kim of KODE Architects; and Shin Sung-jin and Son Kyung Min of bold architects.
According to the MCST on the 8th, 42 teams applied for this year's competition. After a first-round document review and a second-round public presentation, the judging panel comprehensively assessed the architects' fundamentals and attitudes, the development of their ideas, their understanding of society and cities, and architecture's public role. The evaluation considered not only the completeness of the works but also the architects' sincerity and their commitment to making a positive impact on society.
Na Jong-won was recognized for carefully developing the relationship between programs and spaces at the Yeonsu-gu Youth Center and the Namhae Local Food Direct Store. The judging panel said the architect demonstrated new possibilities for public architecture by remaining faithful to the fundamentals of contemporary architecture and consistently realizing the design intent through construction.
Minho Kim was praised for actively interpreting the conditions of the existing building at the Boryeong Youth Center and enhancing the completeness of the space and construction despite limited budgets and circumstances. The judging panel noted that Kim "delicately develops the relationship between the surrounding context and architecture" and also highlighted the process of adding new experiments.
Shin Sung-jin and Son Kyung Min were recognized for their ability to coordinate the urban context and turn ideas into highly refined architecture at the Yeongju Theieum Community Center. Their consistent approach, from planning and construction to materials and details, was also cited as a reason for the award.
The three teams' major projects evenly included neighborhood facilities such as youth and young adult centers, community autonomy centers and libraries. This reflects the direction of this year's judging, which placed significant emphasis on public value and an understanding of society and cities, alongside the completeness of the works.
The MCST has operated the Korean Young Architect Award since 2008 to discover and foster outstanding emerging architects. The winners will receive awards from the minister of culture, sports and tourism. The awards ceremony will be held at the Korea Architecture and Culture Festival in October, where the winners' works and architectural achievements will be exhibited.

[email protected] Insuh Jang Reporter