[CEOs of Incubated Companies at KATECH Chungnam Cheonan–Asan InnoTown] SYNERGYTION, Developing Emergency Braking Systems for Vehicles

Yong En Kim CEO of SYNERGYTION

-Flagship Innovation, The 'MEB' system, capable of responding to all scenarios of unintended acceleration

-Key Strength, Patented technology that allows for the easiest and simplest installation across various vehicle models

SYNERGYTION is a specialized developer of automotive emergency braking systems, founded on the principle of achieving goals through collaboration. The company was established in April 2025 by CEO Yong En Kim.

“I served as a researcher at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATECH) for 15 years, where I also held the position of Center Director for EV-related research”, said CEO Kim. “In 2024, I was honored as the 'Inventor of the Year' by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), having dedicated my career primarily to automotive development.”

SYNERGYTION’s flagship product is the Automotive Emergency Braking System. “At the current stage, AI technology is not yet 100% reliable in judging emergency situations to automatically cut acceleration or stop a vehicle. Therefore, if unintended acceleration occurs—whether due to pedal misapplication, pedal entrapment, or electronic vehicle malfunction—the most definitive solution is for a human to manually press a button to stop the car. While the varying structures of different vehicle models made it difficult to create a universal tuning device, we have discovered a method for the easiest and simplest installation through intensive R&D, and have successfully completed the prototype.”

In addition to this system, SYNERGYTION develops and manufactures IT-related products such as CAN communication security modules and repeaters for CAN communication extension. The emergency braking tuning device was the decisive factor in Kim winning the Inventor of the Year award, the company currently holds 14 patent applications and 4 registrations related to this technology.

“While existing pedal misapplication prevention devices limit speed when a pedal is misused, they are designed under the 100% assumption of human error. Consequently, they cannot respond to pedal sticking or systemic vehicle malfunctions”, explained Kim. “The MEB (Manual Emergency Braking) system developed by SYNERGYTION can handle every scenario of unintended acceleration. Unlike conventional products, it performs a braking function in addition to speed limitation.”

Kim emphasized, “While the majority of sudden surge accidents are caused by human error, we must consider that unintended acceleration can also occur due to vehicle malfunctions or environmental factors. An emergency stop device must be installed to ensure the vehicle can be stopped in any case. If applied in parallel with pedal misapplication prevention devices, it will create an even more robust safety system.”

Regarding future plans, Kim stated, “Since these are automotive parts, they must meet extremely rigorous procedures and standards. Our most immediate goal is to obtain tuning certification from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS2) so that we can officially begin sales of our developed emergency braking system.”

Foundation: April 2025
Core Business: Manufacturing and sales of automotive emergency braking tuning devices, Manufacturing and sales of CAN communication products (Security, Repeaters), Patent consulting and R&D services
Achievements: Signed agreement for the Preliminary Startup Package, Registered as a Research Institute Company, Completed development of the Emergency Braking System prototype, Secured a technical service contract with Hyundai Motor Company

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com