KoreaWho - Biographical and news service about individuals who have a significant impact on the Korean economy

- CEO of POSCO Holdings
  Jeong Ki-seop
  
  Jeong Ki-seop is the CEO and President of POSCO Holdings, the holding company of the POSCO Group. He also serves as the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), overseeing financial operations and overall business strategies. He focuses on enhancing the corporate value of the POSCO Group by concentrating the company’s resources on its two main business sectors: steel and secondary battery materials. Jeong Ki-seop was born on October 4, 1961. He graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Business Administration. He began his career at Daewoo Heavy Industries and later worked at Daewoo International (now POSCO International). When the company was acquired by POSCO, he became part of the POSCO team. Jeong is recognized as a financial expert with extensive experience across various subsidiaries of the POSCO Group, having held positions such as Head of the Business Planning Office at Daewoo International, Finance Committee Member at POSCO's Value Management Center, and Head of Planning and Support at POSCO Energy. He also served as the CEO of POSCO Energy. Returning as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of POSCO Holdings, Jeong became the first externally recruited CFO in the history of the POSCO Group. #JeongKiSeop #POSCO #POSCOHoldings #SteelIndustry #BatteryMaterials #FinancialExpert #CFO #POSCOEnergy #DaewooInternational #CorporateStrategy
- Chairman of Orion Group
  Tam Chul-gon
  
  TAM Chul Gon is the chairman of the Orion Group. He established independence from the Dongyang Group and has been leading the Orion Group. While diversifying the business into areas such as distribution, media, film, and dining, he struggled to achieve notable results. He is now refocusing on the food industry, aiming to transform Orion into a comprehensive food company. Born on June 6, 1955, in Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do, he hails from a Taiwanese-Chinese family that operated a traditional Korean medicine clinic. During middle school, he attended the Seoul Foreign School and later graduated from George Washington University with a degree in business administration. At Seoul Foreign School, he met Lee Hwa Kyung, the second daughter of Dongyang Group founder Lee Yang Goo, and they eventually married. TAM joined Dongyang Cement as a manager, and within a year, transitioned to Dongyang Confectionery. He worked as vice president and, after the passing of founder Lee Yang Goo, inherited managerial control and was appointed CEO and president of Dongyang Confectionery. After separating Dongyang Confectionery from the Dongyang Group, he renamed the company Orion and became its chairman. However, both he and his wife, Vice Chairwoman Lee Hwa Kyung, stepped down as registered directors of Orion. TAM is praised for his keen ability to read trends and prepare the company for the future. However, he has faced criticism for exacerbating owner-related risks, particularly due to controversies including a conviction for embezzlement. #TAMChulGon #OrionGroup #SouthKorea #businessleadership #corporategovernance #management #businessdiversification #entrepreneurship #corporaterisks #businesshistory
  NEWS
  - • The Pioneer of Family-in-Law Management, TAM Chul Gon: Will He Make Bio the 'Next Choco Pie' of Orion?
- CEO of Krafton
  Kim Chang-han
  
  Kim Chang-han is the CEO of Krafton. To diversify Krafton’s revenue structure, which relies heavily on the game "PUBG: Battlegrounds," he is focusing on developing new games. He was born on September 13, 1974, in Seoul. He graduated from Seoul Science High School and the Computer Science Department of KAIST, where he also earned his master’s and doctorate degrees. #Krafton #KimChanghan #PUBG #gamingindustry #revenuegrowth #gameinnovation #KoreanCEO #KAIST #gamebusiness #diversification While pursuing his doctorate, he worked as a developer, planner, and technical team leader at the gaming company "IMagic." Later, he moved to "Nextplay" as the CTO and technical director. After obtaining his doctorate, he served as the CTO and development producer at "Ginno Games." Following the acquisition of Ginno Games by Bluehole (now Krafton), he became the head of development at Bluehole Ginno Games (now PUBG). Later, he was appointed as the CEO of PUBG and Krafton. He is called the "Father of PUBG," which holds the record as the 5th best-selling game globally. He is known as a "hardworking genius." Despite 17 years of repeated failures, he never gave up and continued his path, eventually achieving remarkable success.
- Chairman of Eusu Holdings
  Choi Eun-young
  
  Choi Eun-young is the chairperson of Eusu Holdings (formerly Hanjin Shipping Holdings). She also serves as the chairperson of the subsidiary CyberLogitec. She was born on May 3, 1962, as the eldest daughter of Shin Jeong-sook, the younger sister of the late Shin Kyuk-ho, former chairman of the Lotte Group. Choi graduated from Seoul Seongshim Girls' High School and the Department of English Literature at Seongshim University in Tokyo, Japan. Choi Eun-young is the daughter-in-law of the late Cho Joong-hoon, the founder of Hanjin Group, and the wife of the late Cho Su-ho, former chairman of Hanjin Shipping. After being a housewife for many years, Choi entered the business world in March 2007, following the death of her husband Cho Su-ho in 2006. She became the vice-chairperson of Hanjin Shipping. In December 2009, she assigned the shipping business to a newly established company, Hanjin Shipping, and changed the name of the parent company to Hanjin Shipping Holdings. In November 2014, she sold all shares of Hanjin Shipping to her brother-in-law, the late Cho Yang-ho, former chairman of Hanjin Group, completing the separation between Hanjin Group and Hanjin Shipping Holdings. The name of Hanjin Shipping Holdings was also changed to Eusu Holdings. Eusu Holdings primarily focuses on logistics, but under Choi's leadership, the company expanded into the food and retail industries. She values communication with employees so much that she prefers to be called “Dongdaemun (DDM)” rather than “Chairperson.” DDM is a nickname derived from the code for owner-managers, "DD," with the addition of "M" for Madam, symbolizing her leadership style. #ChoiEunyoung #EusuHoldings #HanjinShipping #CyberLogitec #logistics #shipping #businesswoman #HanjinGroup #femaleCEO #Dongdaemun
- CEO of K Car
  Jung In-gook
  
  Jung In-gook is the CEO of K Car, a direct-operated used car platform company. He was born on November 30, 1970, in Busan. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Pusan National University and completed a Master's degree in Social Welfare from Yonsei University's Graduate School of Public Administration. In 1995, he joined SK Group and co-founded SK Encar, the predecessor of K Car, in 2000 as an in-house venture of SK Group. He has held various positions, including Head of the Comprehensive Planning Department at Encar Network, Head of the Retail Business Division at SKC&C Encar, and Head of the Retail Business Division at SK Encar. Since the launch of K Car in October 2018, he has served as the CEO. With a background as a salaried professional, he has led the transparency and modernization of the domestic automotive e-commerce sector for 24 years. #JungIngook #KCar #usedcarplatform #automotiveecommerce #SKGroup #SKEncar #socialwelfare #YonseiUniversity #Busan #CEO
- Chairman of the Board at Hongik University
  Lee Myeon-young
  
  Lee Myeon-young is the chairman of the board of trustees at Hongik University. He is a cousin of Lee Do-young, the former chairman who took over Hongik University. Lee Myeon-young was born in 1933 in Seoul. He graduated from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at Seoul National University. He earned a master's degree from Korea University's Graduate School of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Sungkyunkwan University. In 1966, he began his career as a professor at Hongik University. In 1985, he was appointed president of Hongik University for the first time and served four consecutive terms. Since 1997, he has been the chairman of the Hongik University Foundation for nearly 30 years. He has focused his efforts on establishing the Hwaseong Fourth Industrial Revolution Campus, improving educational infrastructure, and ensuring excellence in research and education. Hongik University, renowned for its prestigious College of Fine Arts, is also known as the university with the largest reserve funds. In response to demands for improvements in poor educational conditions, the university is pursuing the New Hongik Project. #LeeMyeonYoung #HongikUniversity #educationleadership #highereducation #NewHongikProject #HwaseongCampus #SouthKorea #educationexcellence #universityfunding #FourthIndustrialRevolution
- CEO of Chemtros
  Lee Dong-hoon
  
  Lee Dong-hoon is the CEO and founder of Chemtros, a chemical materials company. Born on September 5, 1963, Lee graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Kyung Hee University and went on to earn both his master’s and doctoral degrees in Chemistry from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He gained experience at the CJ CheilJedang General Research Institute and Hansol Technology Center before serving as the head of the Life Sciences Research Institute at Hansol Chemical. In 2006, he founded Chemtros, achieving the domestic production of electrolyte additives for secondary batteries, which had previously been monopolized by Japan. He is also working on localizing other advanced materials, including perfluorosulfonic acid ionomers (PFSA) for hydrogen fuel cell electrolytic membranes and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binders for secondary battery cathode materials. Lee emphasizes that the company’s mission is to contribute to society through innovations in chemical materials technology, reflecting his philosophy of socially responsible management. #LeeDongHoon #Chemtros #chemicalmaterials #batterytechnology #hydrogenfuelcells #PFSA #PVDF #localization #chemistryinnovation #Koreanentrepreneur
- Chairman of Soulbrain Holdings
  Chung Ji-wan
  
  Chung Ji-wan is the Chairman and Board Chairperson of Soulbrain Holdings. He also serves as a board member for affiliated companies such as Soulbrain SLD, Soulbrain MI, ARK Diagnostics, UP System, and CJW Global. Additionally, he holds positions as a non-executive director at Now IB Capital and co-CEO of Kingsdale. Chung has served as Director, Vice President, and President of the KOSDAQ Association and currently holds the title of Honorary President as of 2024. Born on October 18, 1956, in Daejeon, Chungcheongnam-do, Chung graduated from Chungnam High School in Daejeon and majored in Chemical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. He began his career at Seongwon Trading, a trading company, where he gained four years of experience in international trade. He then founded Techno Trading, the predecessor of Soulbrain Holdings. Chung later served as CEO and Chairman of Soulbrain Holdings but stepped down as CEO in 2022, retaining his roles as Chairman and Board Chairperson. Chung Ji-wan is regarded as one of Korea's pioneering first-generation venture entrepreneurs. At the age of 31, he founded Techno Trading, transforming it into Soulbrain, a dominant player in semiconductor and panel material sectors. Chung initially focused on importing semiconductor materials from Japan, fostering the dream of localizing semiconductor chemical materials. By establishing joint ventures with Japanese chemical companies, he successfully localized semiconductor chemical materials in Korea. He diversified the company’s business into panel chemical materials and expanded into secondary batteries and OLED panel chemical materials, ultimately growing Soulbrain into a conglomerate with annual revenue exceeding KRW 1 trillion (US$ 721 million). Chung is widely respected for his emphasis on trust. #ChungJiwan #SoulbrainHoldings #semiconductor #chemicals #OLED #ventureentrepreneur #KOSDAQ #Koreanbusiness #leadership #trust
- CEO of POSCO
  Lee Si-woo
  
  Lee Si-woo is the CEO and President of POSCO. He is focused on improving POSCO's profitability and transitioning to a low-carbon production system. Born in October 1960, Lee graduated from Hanyang University with a degree in Metallurgy. He began his career at Pohang Iron and Steel Co. (POSCO's predecessor). Lee served as the head of POSCO Maharashtra in India. Upon returning to Korea, he held key positions including Deputy Head of Rolling at the Gwangyang Steelworks, Head of Steel Production Strategy, Head of Safety and Environment, and Head of Production Technology. Over a 40-year career, he has dedicated his professional life entirely to POSCO. In March 2023, Lee was appointed CEO and President of POSCO, working alongside Vice Chairman and Co-CEO Kim Hak-dong in a co-leadership system. As of February 2024, Lee has been serving as the sole CEO and President of POSCO. With over four decades at POSCO, Lee is a seasoned expert in the steel industry. #POSCO #LeeSiwoo #steelindustry #lowcarbon #sustainability #Koreanceo #metallurgy #HanyangUniversity #GwangyangSteelworks #leadership
- Vice Chariman of Samsung Heavy Industries
  Choi Sung-an
  
  Choi Sung-an is the Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries. He also serves as the Chairman of the Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association. In the current boom phase of the shipbuilding industry, he aims to continue improving the company’s performance. He is focused not only on selectively winning profitable future orders but also on channeling the company's capabilities into the development of eco-friendly ships, as environmental regulations for the shipbuilding and offshore industries are set to be implemented soon. Choi was born on December 1, 1960, in Masan City, Gyeongsangnam-do (currently Changwon City). He graduated from Masan High School and later earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University. He started his career as a new employee at Samsung Engineering. He advanced through roles in the Chemical Business Team and Energy Business Team, eventually becoming the Head of the Procurement Division, Head of the Chemical Business Division, and Head of the Plant Business Division 1 before being appointed as CEO of Samsung Engineering. In December 2022, he was promoted to Vice Chairman and appointed CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries. He is highly trusted within the group, becoming one of the four Vice Chairmen in the Samsung Group and the first to be promoted to this position under the leadership of Chairman Lee Jae-yong. He considers engineering his lifelong calling and places great importance on technology. He is known for his meticulous and thorough approach to work. #SamsungHeavyIndustries #ChoiSungAn #ShipbuildingIndustry #EcoFriendlyTechnology #EngineeringLeadership #KoreaShipbuilding #MasantoChangwon #SamsungGroup #LeeJaeYongLeadership #MechanicalEngineering
  NEWS
  - • Samsung Heavy Industries Rides the Container Ship Order Boom: Choi Sung-an on Track to Achieve $9.7 Billion Order Target

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