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

- President and CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics
  Kim Wan-soo
  
  Kim Wan-soo is the President and CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics. He faces the task of stabilizing profitability while also successfully completing an initial public offering. The company is also expanding its business beyond industrial robots into collaborative robots, humanoids, and automation solutions. He was born in 1969. He graduated from Korea University with a degree in geology. He earned a master's degree in project management from Northwestern University in the United States and completed the MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He began his career at Jacobs Engineering in the United States, moved to Samsung Engineering, and then was promoted to Executive Vice President at Samsung C&T, where he served as Head of the Plant Business Division and Head of the New Business Planning Office. He was recruited as Head of the New Business Planning Office at HD Hyundai, then Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, and became a member of the HD Hyundai Group. After serving as Head of the Management Planning Office at HD Hyundai and Head of the ESG Business Division at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, he was appointed CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics in November 2023. As an executive personally recruited by HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun, he was given the role of putting the group's vision into concrete form at the forefront of the robot business, which the group had identified as one pillar of its future industries. #HDHyundai #HDRobotics #KimWansoo #industrialrobots #collaborativerobots #humanoids #automationsolutions #IPO #profitability #roboticsstrategy
- CEO of LS Eco Energy
  Lee Sang-ho
  
  Lee Sang-ho is the CEO of LS Eco Energy, formerly LS Cable & System Asia. He is leading the company's transformation into a specialized business focused on energy and key strategic materials. He was born on August 17, 1968. After graduating from Yeouido High School in Seoul, he majored in accounting at Michigan State University in the United States. He received a master's degree in finance from the University of Illinois. He joined LG Securities and worked at its London office and at the New York office of the accounting firm KPMG. After serving as CFO of Cyprus Investment, an LS Cable & System investment subsidiary in the United States, he took the role of head of the finance division and CFO at LS Cable & System. In 2023, he was appointed CEO of LS Cable & System Asia, a subsidiary of LS Cable & System that is now LS Eco Energy, and has held the two positions concurrently. He led the company to "record its highest earnings ever" and "diversify its business portfolio." He expanded the market beyond Vietnam into North America and Europe, and established new businesses including rare earths. #LSEcoEnergy #LeeSangho #LSCableSystemAsia #energy #strategicmaterials #rareearths #Vietnam #NorthAmerica #Europe #businessportfolio
- Chairman of Nexen Tire
  Kang Byung-Joong
  
  Kang Byung-joong is Chairman of Nexen Group. He also serves as co-CEO of Nexen, the holding company, and co-CEO of Nexen Tire, the group’s key affiliate. He presented a goal of achieving annual revenue of KRW 5 trillion (US$3.6 billion) by 2030. He was born in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on July 25, 1939. He graduated from Masan High School and from the Department of Law at Dong-A University. He completed an MBA course at the Pusan National University Graduate School of Business. He began by importing used cargo trucks and grew the business into a transportation company. He acquired Heung-A Tire’s retread factory and founded Heung-A Tire Industry in 1977. He established financial companies including Dongnam Bank and Kyongnam Life Insurance, but suffered massive losses during the IMF foreign exchange crisis. He acquired Woosung Tire, which had been under court receivership, changed its name to Nexen Tire, and became Chairman and CEO in 1999. He changed the name of Heung-A Tire Industry to Nexen and shifted the governance structure to a holding company system with Nexen at the top. He is a living witness to the industry who built Nexen Tire into one of South Korea’s three major tire companies. He is called the “tire king.” He also serves as Chairman of KNN. #Nexen #NexenTire #KangByungjoong #SouthKorea #tireindustry #businessleader #holdingcompany #KNN #Koreanbusiness #corporateprofile
- President of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
  Park Chong-rae
  
  Park Chong-rae is the president of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). He aims to foster it into “Ulsan’s Stanford,” leading the sustainable development of the nation and the region. He was born on February 25, 1959. He graduated from the Department of Textile Engineering at Seoul National University and received a master’s degree in textile chemistry from Seoul National University Graduate School. He earned a doctorate in textile physics from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He worked at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and as a visiting researcher at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He was appointed professor in the Department of Textile Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. He later moved to Seoul National University and was appointed professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He served as head of Seoul National University’s Intellectual Property Management Office, head of the business division of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, and CEO of Seoul National University Holdings. He was appointed president of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in 2024. He served as chair of the World Carbon Conference and president of the Korean Carbon Society. He also served as vice president of the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Associations, chair of the S&T Infrastructure Subcommittee under a presidential advisory committee, and chair of the expert committee on regulatory sandbox special cases in research and development special zones. He is working to realize the vision of entering the world’s top 10 specialized science and technology universities by 2030. A note on the original text: “KAIST(한국과학기술연구원)” appears inconsistent. KAIST is usually the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, while “한국과학기술연구원” refers to KIST. Please check the original Korean source. #ParkChong-rae #UNIST #Ulsan #SouthKorea #scienceandtechnology #highereducation #universitypresident #innovation #researchleadership #sustainabledevelopment
- CEO of Shin Poong Pharmaceutical
  RYU Jei Man
  
  Ryu Jei Man is the CEO of Shin Poong Pharmaceutical. He is focusing on the clinical development and commercialization of new drug pipelines while accelerating the expansion of production capacity. He was born on November 25, 1956. He graduated from Kyungbok High School in Seoul and earned a degree in pharmacy from Seoul National University. He also received both his master’s and doctoral degrees in pharmacy from the graduate school of Seoul National University. He joined the Central Research Institute of Dongwha Pharm as a researcher and worked there for about 28 years, rising to the position of head of the institute (executive vice president). He later moved to Jeil Pharmaceutical as head of the R&D division and then joined Shin Poong Pharmaceutical, where he was appointed CEO in 2014. He is a new drug development expert who has built extensive experience over a long period in mid-sized pharmaceutical companies such as Dongwha Pharm, Jeil Pharmaceutical, and Shin Poong Pharmaceutical. He is also a long-serving CEO, marking his 13th year in office at Shin Poong Pharmaceutical. #ShinPoongPharmaceutical #RyuJeiMan #pharmaceuticalindustry #drugdevelopment #biopharma #clinicaltrials #R&D #CEOprofile #Koreanpharma #healthcareinnovation
- CEO of Hanwha Solutions Chemical Division
  Nam Jung-Woon
  
  Nam Jung-Woon is the CEO of Hanwha Solutions' Chemical Division. He is seeking a breakthrough for the Chemical Division, which has posted losses for nine consecutive quarters as the petrochemical industry downturn continues. He was born on January 14, 1967. He graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in business administration. He joined Hanwha Group and worked in the chemical business throughout his career. He worked in Hanwha Chemical's Planning and Coordination Team and at TitanTFT as an assistant vice president. He later moved to Hanwha Total, where he served as managing director in charge of planning and logistics and as head of the resin business division, before returning to Hanwha Chemical to lead the PO business division. After Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials was integrated and the company changed its name to Hanwha Solutions, he served as head of the PVC business division in the Chemical Division and was appointed co-CEO of Yeochun NCC in September 2023. In September 2024, he returned as CEO of Hanwha Solutions' Chemical Division. He has broad experience across Hanwha's key chemical businesses. #NamJungWoon #HanwhaSolutions #HanwhaChemical #petrochemical #ChemicalDivision #YeochunNCC #PVC #POBusiness #HanwhaGroup #KoreanBusiness
- CEO of APR
  Kim Byung-hoon
  
  Kim Byung-hoon is the CEO of APR. He is focusing on expanding production capacity for beauty devices while also dedicating efforts to entering overseas markets. He was born on November 5, 1988, in Seoul. He studied Business Administration at Yonsei University. While in college, he launched a virtual fitting service ‘Ifida’ and a dating matchmaking application ‘Gilhana Sai.’ In 2014, at the young age of 25, he founded the cosmetics company Inno Ventures together with former co-CEO Lee Joo-kwang, and in the same year changed the company name to Apskin. After renaming the company again to APR, he transitioned to a sole CEO system in 2019. He has a ‘workaholic’ tendency. He believes that he must do what he wants to do and always keeps his word once he has spoken it. #APR #KimByungHoon #beautydevices #Kbeauty #CEOprofile #startupfounder #globalexpansion #YonseiUniversity #entrepreneurship #cosmeticsindustry
  NEWS
  - • APR's Early Success in Chinese Market with Beauty Devices, Kim Byung-hoon's 'Global Roadmap' Green Light
- CEO of LG Chem
  Kim Dong-chun
  
  Kim Dong-chun is the CEO of LG Chem. He is striving to overcome the industry crisis by restructuring naphtha cracking center (NCC) operations and reorganizing the business portfolio to strengthen specialty businesses. He was born in January 1968. He graduated from Jeju National University High School Affiliated to the College of Education and the Department of Industrial Chemistry at Hanyang University. He completed an MBA program at the University of Washington Graduate School of Business. He joined LG Chem and worked in management strategy and new business development. After a brief period in the LG Synergy Team, he returned to LG Chem as head of the High-Performance Materials Business Division. He served as executive director in charge of the semiconductor materials business, executive vice president of the IT Materials Business Division, and executive vice president of the Electronic Materials Business Division, before being promoted to vice president and head of the Advanced Materials Business Division. In 2025, he was appointed CEO of LG Chem. #LGchem #petrochemical #NCC #specialtymaterials #businessstrategy #corporaterestructuring #advancedmaterials #semiconductormaterials #Koreanceo #chemicalindustry
- Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
  Kwon Oh-eul
  
  Kwon Oh-eul is the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. As the first Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs under the Lee Jae-myung government, he is working to uphold the value of veterans affairs and promote national unity. He was born on March 17, 1957, in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. He graduated from Andong Elementary School, Andong Middle School, and Gyeongbuk High School. He graduated from Korea University with a degree in political science and diplomacy and earned a master's degree in economics from the Korea University Graduate School. He worked as a researcher at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, then served as a member of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council before going on to serve as a member of the 15th, 16th, and 17th National Assembly. He also served as Secretary General of the National Assembly and worked as a visiting and guest professor at Daegu Catholic University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Shinhan University. He took office as Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in July 2025. Note: In the original text, "권오을Kwon Oh-eul은" appears to be attached without a space between the Korean name and the English name. It would read more naturally as "권오을(Kwon Oh-eul)은" or "권오을은". #KwonOhEul #PatriotsandVeteransAffairs #LeeJaeMyung #SouthKoreaPolitics #NationalUnity #Andong #KoreaUniversity #NationalAssembly #VeteransPolicy #SouthKoreaGovernment
- Chairman and CEO of Hanil Holdings
  Huh Gi-ho
  
  Huh Gi-ho is the Chairman and CEO of Hanil Holdings. He also serves as Chairman of Hanil Cement. He is focusing on defending performance deterioration caused by the prolonged downturn in the construction industry and on transforming the cement business into a “low-carbon management” system. He was born on November 15, 1966, in Seoul as the eldest son among three sons of Huh Jung-sup, Honorary Chairman of Hanil Cement. He graduated from Seoul Seongnam High School and the Department of Economics at Sungkyunkwan University. He completed his MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in the United States. He joined Hanil Cement and, after serving as Head of the Management Division and Head of the Corporate Planning Office, became CEO of Hanil Cement in 2005. After the transition to a holding company system, he became Chairman and CEO of Hanil Holdings. Following the acquisition of Hyundai Cement, he completed eight years of integration to establish a “single Hanil” system and led the company to become No. 1 in domestic market share in Korea’s cement industry. #HanilHoldings #HanilCement #HuhGiho #cementindustry #lowcarbonstrategy #constructiondownturn #Koreabusiness #CEOprofile #corporatestrategy #industrialleadership
  NEWS
  - • Hanil Cement Eyes Value-Up Policy: Huh Gi-ho Prioritizes Returns and Green Investments

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