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

- President of Sogang University
  Sim Jong-hyeok
  
  Sim Jong-hyeok is the president of Sogang University. He designated 2026 as the year for implementing and expanding "Vision 2030+" and is focusing on transforming Sogang into an AI research-centered university as part of his commitment to the university's "Second Founding." Sim was born on October 17, 1955, in Seoul. He graduated from Seoul Dongsung High School and majored in mathematics and physics at Sogang University. He earned a master's degree in physics from the Graduate School of Sogang University, followed by a master's degree in pastoral theology from Weston School of Theology in the United States and a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. After being ordained as a Catholic priest, he carried out pastoral ministry at the Sacred Heart Parish in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1992, he joined Sogang University as a professor in the Department of Religious Studies. He served as dean of the Graduate School for Religious, director of the Institute for Theology, director of general affairs, director of planning, director of external affairs, university librarian, and vice president for academic affairs. After serving as dean of the graduate school, he was appointed president of Sogang University in 2021. His prospects for a second term became uncertain after he was investigated by police over allegations related to irregularities in the appointment of a distinguished professor. However, he secured a second term after being reaffirmed by the university's board of trustees. #SimJong-hyeok #SogangUniversity #AIResearch #Vision2030Plus #HigherEducation #CatholicPriest #UniversityPresident #Theology #AcademicLeadership #SouthKoreaEducation
- Chairman of GST
  Kim Duk-jun
  
  Kim Duk-jun is Chairman of GST. He secured stable cash-generating businesses by localizing scrubbers and chillers, and is now accelerating efforts to capture the immersion cooling market for data centers. He was born on July 13, 1962. He graduated from Wooshin High School in Seoul. He worked as a vacuum pump engineer at Sungwon Edwards (now Edwards Korea). He later served as Manufacturing Technology Manager at KC Tech and Technical Sales Director at Korea Pionics (now KPC). In 2001, he founded GST (Global Standard Technology). Since 2025, he has stepped down from the CEO position and has focused on laying the foundation for the company's sustainable growth as Chairman. He also serves as the inaugural Chairman of the Hyean Foundation, which he personally established. #GST #KimDukjun #GlobalStandardTechnology #SemiconductorEquipment #Scrubber #Chiller #ImmersionCooling #DataCenterCooling #SemiconductorIndustry #KoreanBusinessLeader
- CEO of Fiberpro
  Koh Yeon-wan
  
  Koh Yeon-wan is the CEO of Fiberpro. He is focused on transforming the company into a specialized provider of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) integrated solutions, while accelerating its push into the global aerospace and defense markets based on its proprietary optical fiber technologies. He was born in September 1964. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Physics and earned both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Physics from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). He founded Fiberpro (then known as Donam System), which originated from the Optical Fiber Laboratory at KAIST. He is an optical technology expert who has dedicated more than 30 years to the fields of optical measurement and optical sensing. He places strong emphasis on sustainable growth. #Fiberpro #KohYeonwan #PNT #OpticalFiber #Aerospace #DefenseIndustry #OpticalSensors #NavigationTechnology #KAIST #PhotonicsTechnology
- President of Duksung Women's University
  Min Jae-hong
  
  Min Jae-hong is the President of Duksung Women's University. He has presented “Bright Duksung” as the university’s mid- to long-term vision, encompassing the values of balance, innovation, and harmony, and has focused on advancing AI-driven educational innovation. He was born on May 6, 1968. He earned a bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Yonsei University and received both his master's and doctoral degrees in Chinese Language and Literature from Yonsei University Graduate School. In 2003, he joined the Department of Chinese Language and Literature in the College of Global Convergence Studies at Duksung Women's University as a professor. He has served in a number of key academic positions, including Dean of Academic Affairs, Faculty Advisor to the University Newspaper, Dean of Liberal Arts, and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He has also held administrative roles such as Chair of the Laboratory Safety Management Committee, Chair of the Jongno Unhyeon Campus Educational Utilization Committee, and Chair of the Duksung Future Education Committee. He assumed office as President of Duksung Women's University in January 2026. His four-year term runs through January 28, 2030. #MinJaeHong #DuksungWomensUniversity #HigherEducation #AIEducation #EducationalInnovation #ChineseLanguageAndLiterature #YonseiUniversity #UniversityPresident #BrightDuksung #KoreanUniversities
- 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
- Chairman of LX Group
  Koo Bon-joon
  
  Koo Bon-joon is Chairman of LX Group. He also serves as CEO of LX Holdings, the group's holding company. He led LX Group, which was spun off from LG Group and launched in May 2021, to become one of South Korea's large business groups within just two years. Koo was born on December 24, 1951, in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, as the third son of Koo Ja-kyung, Honorary Chairman of LG Group. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Computational Statistics and completed an MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He began his career as a researcher at the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and later worked as an executive vice president at AT&T Technologies in the United States. He joined GoldStar Semiconductor as a general manager and later served as Executive Vice President of LG Chem before returning in 1997 as Vice Chairman and CEO of LG Semicon. After LG Semicon was transferred to Hyundai Group in 1999 under the semiconductor industry restructuring deal, he moved to LG LCD as CEO. At the time, he secured US$1.6 billion in foreign investment from the Netherlands' Philips to establish LG.Philips LCD. He later served at LG International before returning as Vice Chairman and CEO of LG Electronics. At LG, the holding company, he headed the New Growth Business Promotion Team, where he expanded the group's future businesses, including rechargeable batteries and automotive electronics, into profitable operations. In May 2021, he left LG and became Chairman of the newly established LX Group. He places great importance on technological competitiveness and has a strong passion for leading the market. Known for his straightforward speaking style, he pushes ahead decisively with the initiatives he believes in.
  NEWS
  - • LX Group’s 'No.1 DNA' and Chip Dream Still Distant, Koo Bon-joon Bets on Samsung Man
  - • Koo Hyung-mo, Eldest Son of Koo Bon-joon, Promoted to President; LX Group Starts Succession
- CEO of RF Materials
  Nam Dong-woo
  
  Nam Dong-woo is the CEO of RF Materials. He is focused on securing global customers and reducing the company's dependence on its parent company. He was born on January 19, 1975. He graduated from Monash University in Australia with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He worked at the Japanese semiconductor foundry Rapidus and South Korean defense company UI Helicopter. In June 2005, he co-founded RF Materials and oversaw the Packaging Business Division. He has led the company as CEO since 2022. He has driven the company's scale-up for more than 20 years. He focuses on technology-driven, sustainable management and strengthening the company's fundamentals. #RFMaterials #NamDongwoo #Semiconductor #PackagingTechnology #Rapidus #DefenseIndustry #IndustrialEngineering #ScaleUp #TechnologyManagement #GlobalCustomers
- 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
- CEO of PINO
  Zhu Zong-yuan
  
  Zhu Zong-yuan is the CEO of PINO. He also serves as Vice President of CNGR (China New Materials Group Co., Ltd.) and Head of Finance for its Korean subsidiary. He was born on July 16, 1977. He graduated from Xiangtan University with a degree in Economics and completed an MBA program at Central South University. He worked at LG Philips Shuguang Electronics Co., Ltd. in China and Hunan Electronic Information Industry Group Co., Ltd. He served as Deputy General Manager of the Finance Department and General Manager of the Securities Investment Department at Hunan Coal Industry Group. He also worked as Head of Finance at Xiangmei Lida Mining Equipment. He was recruited as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Hunan CNGR Holding, the holding company of CNGR. He later moved to CNGR and served as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was promoted to Vice President and was appointed Head of Finance for the Korean subsidiary. In March 2026, he was appointed CEO of PINO. He is a finance and investment specialist. He is a Chinese national, and his Chinese name is Zhu Zong-yuan. #PINO #ZhuZongyuan #CNGR #BatteryMaterials #EVBattery #FinanceExpert #InvestmentExpert #KoreaBusiness #ChineseExecutive #BatteryIndustry
- Chairman of Meritz Financial Group
  Cho Jung-ho
  
  Cho Jung-ho is Chairman of Meritz Financial Group. He was born in Incheon on October 5, 1958 (lunar calendar), the youngest of four sons and one daughter of Cho Choong-hoon, the founder of Hanjin Group. He graduated from Thacher School in Boston, the United States, and earned a degree in economics from the University of Southern California. He later completed an MBA program at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland. After joining Korean Air, he worked at Hanil Securities and Hanjin Investment & Securities before serving as Vice President of Dongyang Fire & Marine Insurance. In 1997, he became CEO of Hanjin Investment & Securities. Following the death of his father, founder Cho Choong-hoon, he separated the fire insurance, securities, and merchant banking businesses from Hanjin Group and established Meritz Financial Group as an independent entity. He became Chairman of Meritz Financial Holdings, the group's holding company, but stepped back from frontline management after controversies surrounding excessive compensation and dividend payouts. After serving as Executive Chairman of Meritz Securities, he returned as Chairman of Meritz Financial Holdings in 2014. He is known for actively recruiting talented professionals and follows a performance-based compensation and personnel management philosophy. He has stated that, for the sake of improving corporate governance efficiency, “I can give up passing the company on to my children.” #ChoJungho #MeritzFinancialGroup #MeritzFinancialHoldings #KoreanAir #HanjinGroup #FinanceIndustry #CorporateGovernance #PerformanceBasedManagement #MeritzSecurities #SouthKoreaBusinessLeader
  NEWS
  - • ‘Left With What His Brothers Didn’t Take’ — How Cho Jung-ho Became Korea’s Richest Shareholder Through Meritz

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