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

- President of the University of Seoul.
  Won Yong-kul
  
  Won Yong-kul is the President of the University of Seoul. He has been working to present a new model for public universities under the banner of becoming an “AI Transformation Research-Oriented University.” He was born on June 7, 1963, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. He graduated from Suwon Suseong High School and Seoul National University, where he majored in economics. He earned a master's degree in economics from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in economics from Indiana University in the United States. He worked at the Bank of Korea before serving as a Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP). He was appointed as a professor in the Division of Northeast Asian Commerce at the University of Incheon and later joined the Department of Economics at the University of Seoul as a professor. He served as Dean of the College of Political Science and Economics and Director of the Institute of Social Sciences. In 2023, he was appointed President of the University of Seoul. He has served as President of the Korean International Financial Association, Vice President of the Korea International Trade Association, and President of the Korea International Economic Association. #WonYong-kul #UniversityofSeoul #AITransformation #ResearchUniversity #HigherEducation #Economics #PublicUniversity #KoreanAcademia #EducationLeadership #UniversityPresident
- the CEO of NICE Information Service
  Kim Jong-yoon
  
  Kim Jong-yoon is the CEO of NICE Information Service. He is advancing the company’s credit evaluation system in response to the artificial intelligence (AI) transformation of the financial industry while accelerating entry into Vietnam’s credit rating market, using the acquisition of a business license from the State Bank of Vietnam as a foundation. He was born on September 2, 1970. He graduated from Korea University with a degree in Statistics and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Korea University Graduate School. He later received a Ph.D. in Engineering from Soongsil University Graduate School. He joined NICE Information Service, then known as Korea Credit Information. He served as Head of the Solutions Business Office and Head of the CB Business Division 1 and 2. After serving as Head of the Information Business Division for the Corporate Sector and Head of the Corporate Sector, he was appointed CEO in 2025. He is a credit evaluation and data expert who has spent 27 years exclusively at NICE Information Service. He is known for a flexible leadership style that emphasizes communication and grants autonomy to employees. #NICEInformationService #KimJongyoon #CreditRating #CreditData #FinancialAI #DigitalTransformation #Fintech #VietnamMarket #CreditScoring #DataAnalytics
- Vice Chairman and CEO of SAMCNS
  Choi Yu-jin
  
  Choi Yu-jin is Vice Chairman and CEO of SAMCNS. She aims to transform the company into a comprehensive semiconductor materials and components platform company by increasing the utilization rate of the Osong new plant and securing customers for new products used in DRAM and system semiconductors. She was born on February 20, 1982, as the eldest daughter of Choi Myung-bae, Chairman of YC. She graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering and earned both her master's and doctoral degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Seoul National University. She began her career at Samsung Electronics' Semiconductor Research Institute. She later joined YIK Corporation (now YC), the semiconductor inspection equipment company founded by her father. In 2020, she was appointed CEO of SAMCNS, a manufacturer of key components for semiconductor inspection equipment. She is regarded as having strengthened the company's fundamentals through technical expertise and proactive infrastructure investment.
- Prime Minister nominee of the Republic of Korea
  Han Seong-sook
  
  Han Seong-sook is the nominee for Prime Minister in the Lee Jae-myung administration. She was born on June 20, 1967, in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. She graduated from Uijeongbu Girls' High School and earned a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Sookmyung Women's University. She began her professional career as a reporter for Mincom, a computer magazine. She later served as head of the public relations team at Nanum Technology. She joined search portal Empas as a founding member and served as head of its Search Business Division. After Empas was acquired by SK Communications, she moved to NHN, the predecessor of Naver, where she worked as head of the Search Quality Center, head of Service Division 1, and executive director overseeing services. In 2017, she was appointed CEO of NHN. Following the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, she was appointed as the first Minister of SMEs and Startups. At the time, she held assets worth KRW 44.0 billion (US$ 31.7 million), making her the wealthiest ministerial nominee in the Lee Jae-myung administration. In June 2026, following Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, President Lee Jae-myung nominated her as the candidate for prime minister, and she is now preparing for a National Assembly confirmation hearing. #HanSeong-sook #LeeJaeMyung #PrimeMinisterNominee #SouthKoreaPolitics #Naver #NHN #MinisterOfSMEsAndStartups #Empas #KoreanGovernment #TechIndustryLeader
- CEO of Neosem
  Yeom Dong-heon
  
  Yeom Dong-heon is the CEO of Neosem. He was born in August 1958. He graduated from the Department of Avionics Engineering at Korea Aerospace University and completed an MBA program at Yonsei University Graduate School of Business. He joined Samsung Electronics and worked in its semiconductor division. He later worked as an engineer at Schlumberger ATE Korea, a global semiconductor testing company under Schlumberger (now SLB), and then moved to Teradyne Korea, where he served as Sales Manager. He returned to Schlumberger ATE Korea and served as the head of its Korean subsidiary. In 2002, he founded Neosem, a semiconductor testing specialist company. He is known for his ability to identify technology trends and for his persistence as an engineer. Under his leadership, Neosem has grown into a specialized semiconductor tester company that leads global standards. He now faces the challenge of proving visible growth based on solid business fundamentals to the market. #Neosem #YeomDongheon #SemiconductorTesting #SemiconductorEquipment #SLB #Teradyne #SamsungElectronics #SemiconductorIndustry #TechnologyLeadership #GlobalStandards
- CEO of XGate
  Ju Gab-soo
  
  Ju Gab-soo is the CEO of XGate. He is expanding the company beyond its leadership position in South Korea’s internet personal information security VPN market into next-generation fields such as quantum security and home networking. He was born on January 25, 1975. He graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked as a network engineer at Datacraft Korea and Pan World Networks. In 2001, he founded the security company NexG. After stepping down as CEO 10 years later, he launched XGate and embarked on a new entrepreneurial challenge. XGate became part of Gabia in 2016, and he has continued to serve as CEO, leading the company with a technology-focused management approach. #XGate #JuGabsoo #Cybersecurity #VPN #QuantumSecurity #HomeNetworking #NetworkSecurity #Gabia #NexG #InformationSecurity
- Chairman and CEO of Seobu T&D
  Seung Man-Ho
  
  Seung Man-ho is Chairman and CEO of Seobu T&D. He has focused on the development of the Yongsan International Business District and the construction of the Sinjeong-dong Urban High-Tech Logistics Complex. He was born on July 15, 1957, as the youngest of three children—two daughters and one son—of Seung Hyang-bae, Chairman of Yongsan Tourist Bus Terminal (now Seobu T&D). He graduated from Gyeongbok High School in Seoul and earned a bachelor's degree in French Language and Literature from Seoul National University. He later received a master's degree in business administration from the graduate school of Seoul National University. He worked as a managing director at Ojin Development and Korea Truck Terminal, affiliates of his father's company. He also served as Vice President of Yongsan Tourist Bus Terminal and later became CEO of Ojin Trading, Yongsan Tourist Bus Terminal, and Ojin Tourism. Since 2005, he has served as CEO of Seobu Truck Terminal (now Seobu T&D). He also concurrently serves as CEO of Seoul Dragon City. For more than 15 years, he served as Chairman of the Yongsan Business Association (now the Yongsan District Chamber of Commerce under the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry). #SeungManHo #SeobuTD #YongsanInternationalBusinessDistrict #SeoulDragonCity #LogisticsComplex #YongsanDevelopment #KoreanBusinessLeader #UrbanDevelopment #SeobuTDChairman #SouthKoreaBusiness
- President of Seoul National University Hospital
  Paik Nam-jong
  
  Paik Nam-jong is the president of Seoul National University Hospital. He is focusing on strengthening Seoul National University Hospital’s status as the nation’s central hospital and on medical innovation, including digital healthcare. He was born on January 9, 1966, in Seoul. He graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in medicine from Seoul National University Graduate School. In 2001, he was appointed professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine. He worked as head of the Medical Data Information Center, chief of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and head of the Medical Cooperation Center at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. He later served as head of public relations, head of planning and coordination, and head of the public healthcare project group before becoming president of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. In May 2026, he was appointed president of Seoul National University Hospital. He is an authority in the field of neurorehabilitation who has devoted himself to research on rehabilitation treatment for functional recovery in stroke patients and the development of neuromodulation technology. He is a full member of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea. He served as president of the Asia-Oceanian Society for NeuroRehabilitation and chairperson of the Korean Society for NeuroRehabilitation. He is serving as president of the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation. #PaikNamjong #SeoulNationalUniversityHospital #SNUH #digitalhealthcare #medicalinnovation #neurorehabilitation #strokerehabilitation #rehabilitationmedicine #neuromodulation #NationalAcademyofMedicineofKorea
- Governor-elect of Gyeonggi Province
  Choo Mi-ae
  
  Choo Mi-ae is the Governor-elect of Gyeonggi Province. She became the first woman in South Korean constitutional history to lead a metropolitan-level local government after winning the June 3, 2026 local elections for governor of Gyeonggi Province. She was born in Daegu on October 23, 1958. She graduated from Gyeongbuk Girls' High School and Hanyang University’s College of Law and earned a master's degree in economics from the Graduate School of Economics at Yonsei University. After passing the national bar examination, she served as a judge before entering politics at the recommendation of former President Kim Dae-jung. She was first elected to the National Assembly from Seoul's Gwangjin B constituency. In the 2024 general election, she won the Hanam A constituency in Gyeonggi Province, becoming the first woman in South Korean history to serve six terms as a member of the National Assembly. During Roh Moo-hyun's presidential campaign, she led the People's Participation Movement Headquarters and earned the nickname "Pig Mom." However, she suffered a political setback and lost her seat after supporting the impeachment of President Roh in 2004. She later rebuilt her political career, served as leader of the Democratic Party, and was appointed Minister of Justice under the Moon Jae-in administration, where she spearheaded prosecution reform. As Minister of Justice, she became a symbolic figure of prosecution reform by leading disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol. However, court rulings that blocked some of her actions also dealt her political setbacks. Following the 2024 general election, she ran in the primary race to become Speaker of the National Assembly for the first half of the 22nd Assembly but lost to Rep. Woo Won-shik. She later served as chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, leading follow-up legislation on prosecution reform, including bills to establish the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office. She is widely known for her direct style of speech and her tendency to push relentlessly toward her goals. She regards "principles and conviction" as the highest virtues in politics. She is often described as being "filled with indomitable spirit" and is also known by the nickname "Choo d'Arc," a reference to Joan of Arc. #ChooMiae #GyeonggiProvince #GovernorElect #DemocraticParty #SouthKoreanPolitics #ProsecutionReform #NationalAssembly #MinisterOfJustice #KimDaejung #WomenInPolitics
- CEO of Semifive
  Cho Brandon
  
  Cho Myung-hyun, also known as Cho Brandon, is CEO of Semifive. He is focusing on strengthening the company’s design house capabilities by internalizing technology and securing design talent through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He was born in August 1980. He graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Electrical Engineering. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He worked for the Boston Consulting Group in the United States for six years, handling corporate consulting. After serving as head of the Korean branch of U.S. semiconductor fabless company SiFive, he returned to Korea and co-founded Semifive with SiFive through an equity investment. He has both engineering and strategic consulting capabilities. He has a sharp eye for the market and a strong sense for investment. #ChoMyungHyun #ChoBrandon #Semifive #semiconductor #designhouse #M&A #SiFive #MIT #BostonConsultingGroup #fabless

Types of Companies