Park Kyu-tek, one of Korea’s leading entomologists, will receive the 56th annual Sam-il Cultural Award for his contributions to natural science, Sam-il Cultural Foundation said Monday.

The 70-year-old former professor of Kangwon National University is well-known for his research on moths and butterflies, and has contributed to the country’s entomological taxonomy by discovering more than 500 new types of moths, the foundation said.

Sam-il Cultural Foundation, named after the March 1 Independence Movement, awards scholars who have achieved exceptional feats in natural science, art, technology and the humanities.

The three other recipients of the award were Oh Byung-nam, professor emeritus of Seoul National University, honored for his research on aesthetics; La In-yong, professor emeritus of music composition at Yonsei University; and Lee Dong-ho, former head of Kyungpook National University’s college of engineering.

The awards ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on March 1 at Best Western Premier Seoul Garden Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)