Career
Choi was instrumental in helping Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute develop the Electronic Switching System (TDX), the world"s tenth such system which propelled of Korea to join the digital information era. He served as a minister in the Ministry of Information and Communication (South of Korea). He was the visionary first dean of Korean Institute of Technology, which later became a part of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. As a professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, he created Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Satellite Technology Research Center and lead a collaboration with students from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and University of Surrey to successfully engineer the first Korean satellite, KITSAT-1, also named "Our Star".
The satellite was successfully launched from Guiana Space Centre in 1992.
Choi died on October 18, 2014 at the age of 83. He was posthumously awarded a national medal of honor for his contribution to science and technology on October 21, 2014.
He is the 4th civilian allowed to be buried at the National Cemetery in Daejon. He has 6 grandchildren who currently reside in the United States.
