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

- Chairman of Asung Daiso
  Park Jung-boo
  
  Park Jung-boo is chairman of Asung Daiso. After early retirement at age 45, he founded the company in 1988 and aggressively expanded Daiso stores through “1,000-won management” and a “fixed-price policy,” growing it into a retail giant with annual sales in the KRW 4 trillion (US$ 2.9 billion) range. He was born on December 2, 1944, in Seoul. He graduated from Seoul Yeongdeungpo High School and Hanyang University’s Department of Industrial Management. He joined Poongwoo Industrial, a company that produced light bulbs in Guro Industrial Complex, now Guro Digital Complex, and served as factory manager. He founded Hanil Manpower, a trading company, and exported household goods to Japan. In 1992, he established Asung Industrial, now Asung Daiso, and in 1997 opened “Asco Even Plaza,” a Korean version of a 100-yen shop. When controversy arose over its national identity, he bought all shares held by the Japanese company. He is strengthening the company’s identity as a “Korean-style retail company” and is focusing on expanding its offline influence into online channels. #ParkJungboo #AsungDaiso #Daiso #KoreanRetail #FixedPricePolicy #1000WonManagement #RetailBusiness #HouseholdGoods #AscoEvenPlaza #OnlineExpansion
  NEWS
  - • Park Jung-bu Builds KRW 3 Trillion Revenue with Daiso’s 1,000-Won Strategy—How Far Will It Go?
- CEO of TMC
  Ji Young-wan
  
  Ji Young-wan is the CEO of TMC. He is accelerating the expansion into high value-added business areas, including optical communication cables for AI data centers. He was born on October 9, 1964. He graduated from Seoul Airport Middle School and Seoul Hwagok High School, and earned a degree in electrical engineering from Inha University. He joined Jinro Industry and worked as a deputy general manager in the sales team. After joining TMC, he served as head of the domestic sales team and as a sales director. He was appointed CEO of the ship cable business division. In 2025, he became CEO of TMC. He places great importance on talent. He has a management philosophy that “people are the company’s competitiveness.” #TMC #JiYoungwan #AIdatacenter #OpticalCommunicationCable #ShipCable #KoreanBusiness #CEO #ElectricalEngineering #HighValueBusiness #Telecommunications
- CEO and President of EcoPro BM
  Choi Moon-ho
  
  Choi Moon-ho is the CEO and president of EcoPro BM. He is focusing on increasing production capacity and expanding market share with the goal of making the company the world’s No. 1 secondary battery materials company. He was born on April 15, 1974. He graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Chemical Engineering. He earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a doctorate in energy engineering from Hanyang University Graduate School. He worked at Zeobuilder and Asin Technology before joining EcoPro, where he was in charge of the battery business. He moved to EcoPro BM and served as head of the development division. After serving as chief technology officer (CTO), he was appointed co-CEO and president in 2022. As an engineer by background, he is pushing to cut costs while securing differentiated technological capabilities. #ChoiMoonho #EcoProBM #EcoPro #secondarybattery #batteryMaterials #cathodeMaterials #batteryIndustry #CEO #technologyLeadership #costReduction
- CEO and President of Daejoo Electronic Materials
  Lim Il-ji
  
  Lim Il-ji is the CEO and president of Daejoo Electronic Materials. She leads the company as co-CEO with her younger brother, Vice President Lim Jung-kyu. She was born on October 27, 1970, as the second daughter among one son and three daughters of Lim Moo-hyun, founder and chairman of Daejoo Electronic Materials. She graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in biochemistry. She joined Daejoo Fine Chemical, now Daejoo Electronic Materials, and oversaw technology sales. After serving as executive vice president in charge of sales, she was appointed co-CEO in 2008. She is focusing on business diversification centered on silicon anode materials and the expansion of the global supply chain. #LimIlji #DaejooElectronicMaterials #CEO #siliconanode #batteryMaterials #globalSupplyChain #businessDiversification #YonseiUniversity #technologySales #secondaryBattery
- CEO and President of Firstec
  Son Kyeong-seok
  
  Son Kyeong-seok is the CEO and president of Firstec. He is focusing on improving performance by expanding global orders based on accumulated defense technology. He was born on May 5, 1960. He graduated from Kwandong University with a degree in business administration. He joined Jeil Precision Industrial, now Firstec, and worked as executive director in charge of sales and managing director of the factory. After serving as vice president, he was appointed CEO and president in 2018. He led the company’s transformation into a “global defense solutions company.” He aims to help the company leap forward from covering the “muscles” of traditional defense, or actuators, to covering the “brain” of future defense, including AI and unmanned systems. #SonKyeongseok #Firstec #defenseindustry #defensetechnology #globalorders #AIdefense #unmannedsystems #actuators #defensesolutions #Koreandefense
- President of the University of Ulsan
  Oh Yeon-cheon
  
  Oh Yeon-cheon is the President of the University of Ulsan. He was born in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, in 1951. He graduated from Gyeonggi High School in Seoul and the Department of Political Science at Seoul National University. He earned both his master’s degree and doctorate in public finance administration from New York University in the United States. He began his public service career after passing the 17th Higher Civil Service Examination before leaving for study in the United States. After joining Seoul National University as a professor, he served as dean of the Graduate School of Public Administration and was elected president of Seoul National University in 2010. He also served as chairman of the board when Seoul National University was converted into a corporate entity. After serving as a chaired professor at Stanford University in the United States, he was appointed President of the University of Ulsan in 2015. He is a university administration expert who has served as a university president for 16 years. He is the first president in the history of the University of Ulsan to achieve three consecutive terms. He also served as chairman of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, chairman of the Industrial Development Deliberation Committee, and chairman of the Supreme Court Judicial Policy Advisory Committee. #OhYeoncheon #UniversityOfUlsan #SeoulNationalUniversity #StanfordUniversity #HigherCivilServiceExamination #UniversityPresident #KoreanEducation #PublicAdministration #NYU #UniversityAdministration
- Chairman of Heesung Group
  Koo Bon-neung
  
  Koo Bon-neung is the chairman of Heesung Group. Among members of the LG family, he was the first to become independent and led Heesung Group. As sales at its main business, Heesung Electronics, have plunged, he is showing moves to reorganize the overall business through another pillar, Heesung Catalysts. He was born on March 26, 1949, in Busan as the second son among the four sons and two daughters of Koo Cha-kyung, former honorary chairman of LG Group. He graduated from Kyungnam Middle School and Kyungnam High School, and earned a degree in business administration from Korea University. He joined Lucky-Goldstar International, now LX International, and worked as head of the U.S. Chicago office and head of the overseas management division. After moving to GoldStar Telecommunications, now LG Electronics, as head of the export division, he was promoted to director at GoldStar Telecommunications and GoldStar Alps, now LG Innotek. He served as auditor at Heesung Metal Industry, now LT Metal, and vice president of Sangnong Enterprise, now Heesung Electronics, before working as a director at Heesung Metal and Korea Engelhard, now Heesung Catalysts. He became vice chairman of Heesung Metal, which had been separated from an LG Group affiliate, and in 1996 launched Heesung Group and became its chairman. Legal risks emerged, including a criminal complaint related to the LG Group inheritance dispute, but he was cleared of major charges, significantly easing his legal burden. From 2011 to 2017, he served as commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). He is the biological father of Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group. #KooBon-neung #HeesungGroup #LGGroup #KooKwang-mo #HeesungElectronics #HeesungCatalysts #LTMetal #LXInternational #KBO #KoreanBusiness
- Group CEO of Yanolja
  Lee Su-jin
  
  Lee Su-jin is the Group CEO of Yanolja. He aims to transform Yanolja into a global travel tech company. He was born in February 1978 in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. He graduated from Anseong Doowon Technical High School and the Department of Mold Engineering at Cheonan Technical College. He began his career cleaning motel rooms and entered the lodging business by acquiring the internet cafe “Motel Tour,” which had 200,000 members, for KRW 5 million (US$3,600). After founding Yanolja in 2007, he expanded the company’s business by acquiring e-commerce company Interpark. He is a self-made young entrepreneur who lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandparents. #Yanolja #LeeSujin #traveltech #Interpark #SouthKorea #startup #entrepreneur #hospitality #ecommerce #selfmade
- Chairman and CEO of Ottogi
  Ham Young-joon
  
  Ham Young-joon is the CEO and chairman of Ottogi. He is interested in expanding overseas sales. In Korea, he is trying to diversify revenue by broadening the company’s product lineup into ready-to-eat meals, sauces, and health foods. He was born in Seoul on March 2, 1959, as the eldest son of Ham Tae-ho, honorary chairman of Ottogi. After graduating from Osan High School in Seoul and Hanyang University’s Department of Business Administration, he completed an MBA program at the University of Southern California’s business school. He joined Ottogi and was appointed CEO and vice president in 1999. After serving as CEO and president, he became CEO and chairman in 2010. While focusing on diversifying Ottogi’s business into tea and health foods, he kept ramen at the center. He earned nicknames such as “model student” and “CEO of upright living.” As the company kept the hiring of non-regular workers to a minimum, it also gained an image as a “good company.” He went through difficulties as the issue of unfairly funneling work to affiliates came into focus. #HamYoungjoon #Ottogi #CEO #KoreanFood #Ramen #ReadyToEatMeals #SauceBusiness #HealthFoods #OverseasSales #CorporateGovernance
  NEWS
  - • Falling Behind Overseas, Ottogi’s Ham Young-joon Bets on U.S. Production Plant for a Turnaround
  - • Ottogi Heir Ham Yeon-ji Starts Management, Joins US Office
- Vice Chairman and CEO of LF
  Oh Kyu-shik
  
  Oh Kyu-shik is the CEO of LF. He faces the task of improving profitability in each business area, including food, real estate, and finance, in addition to the company’s core fashion business. He was born in June 1958 in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. He graduated from Sogang University with a degree in international trade. He joined Bando Corporation (now LX International). After working at LG International’s New York branch, he served as managing director and head of the management planning team at headquarters, head of the IT business division, and head of the management support office. He moved to LG Fashion (now LF), where he served as vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), as well as head of the development support division. In 2012, he was appointed CEO and president of LF. Since 2019, he has served as vice chairman and also concurrently serves as chairman of LF Food. With the strong trust of Chairman Koo Bon-geol, he has kept his position as CEO for 14 years. He is an expert in finance and financial management. He is meticulous and detail-oriented. #OhKyu-shik #LF #LFFood #KooBon-geol #fashionbusiness #foodbusiness #realestate #finance #CEO #Koreanbusinessleaders

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