SoCal K-Group, an association of Korean American IT, art, tech, and startup professionals in Southern California, sponsored by the Consulate General of Korea in Los Angeles and The Korea Daily, successfully organized a three-day hybrid hackathon from August 26 to 28.
Now in its sixth event, the hackathon congregated Korean American professionals and students from diverse sectors like art, gaming, and IT. They collaborated online in teams for two days to finalize projects and then gathered in-person at The Korea Daily’s gallery from 9 a.m. on the concluding day to showcase their endeavors and emphasize networking.
Notably, this marked the first in-person event in three years since the onset of COVID-19. A total of 38 participants formed seven teams to brainstorm and actualize ideas. Following the demonstrations and Q&A session, winners for the three categories were determined via live voting by attendees.
The ‘Musee’ team, comprised of Joy Lee, Rho Park, Lani Jeon, Robin Keum, and Young Suh, won the ‘Gold Coin Award.’ This award is given to projects that create an online platform for buying and selling art, showing promise for success in business and delivering a high-quality demo.
The “Light Bulb Award,” celebrating projects that enthral and invigorate participants with ingenious concepts and products, was awarded to “Algoring,” a group consisting of Gyumin Jang, Hyun Cho, Sally Hwang, Jihoon Kim, and Shinhae Na. They innovated an algorithmic problem-solving character game.
The father-daughter team of “EMS (Emergency Medical Services) On Scene”, James Jung and Mia Jung received the “Rose Award”, which recognizes a project that touches the heart by developing a campus emergency medical care support app.
“It was heartening to witness Korean Americans from varied backgrounds synergizing on inventive ventures that spanned multiple domains, encompassing healthcare, gaming, digital platforms, and art,” remarked Consul General Jiwan Yoon. “We aspire to perpetuate our support so that this event continues benefiting the Korean American communities in the U.S., aiding the forthcoming generations in securing employment and establishing their enterprises.”
“I was astounded by the way developers, engineers, UI/UX designers, artists, and business strategists united for collaboration, showcasing their technical prowess on novel subjects within a limited timeframe,” observed Taehyun Kim, the founding chairman of the SoCal K Group. “I hope that through events like this, professionals in the same field can share information and help each other, and that the Korean American network will be strengthened.”
BY GYEONGEUN PARK [park.gyeongeun@koreadaily.com]
