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

- CEO of DongSung FineTec
  Choe Yong-seok
  
  Choe Yong-seok is the CEO of DongSung FineTec. He is focusing on expanding the company’s cryogenic insulation materials portfolio into next-generation eco-friendly vessel markets such as hydrogen and ammonia, while also broadening the refrigerant business into eco-friendly recycling operations. He was born on May 3, 1964. He graduated from the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at Seoul National University and earned a master’s degree from the business school at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). He joined Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (now Hanwha Ocean), where he served as head of the business planning department, head of the wind power business, head of purchasing and procurement, head of the support division, and vice president in charge of the finance division. He is a shipbuilding industry expert with more than 30 years of experience at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. He has a deep understanding of the entire shipbuilding value chain and strong financial management capabilities. He places great importance on on-site operations. #ChoeYongseok #DongSungFineTec #HanwhaOcean #shipbuilding #cryogenicinsulation #hydrogenships #ammoniaships #ecoFriendly #refrigerantrecycling
- CEO of TFE
  Moon Sung-jue
  
  Moon Sung-jue is the CEO of TFE. He aims to build the company into a comprehensive solutions provider that covers core technologies for AI semiconductors. He was born on April 6, 1968. He completed an MBA program at the Graduate School of Business Administration of Ajou University. After graduating from university, he worked at Yeonil Trading, which imports semiconductor equipment, and later moved to Eastpost, where he served as Director of Technical Sales. In 2003, he founded TFE. To respond to the AI market, the company plans to invest KRW 50 billion (US$ 36.0 million) in factories and equipment to more than double its production capacity. #MoonSung-jue #TFE #AIsemiconductor #semiconductorsolutions #AImarket #semiconductorequipment #KoreantechCEO #manufacturingexpansion #AIinfrastructure #techleadership
- CEO of Woojoo Electronics
  Ro Young-baik
  
  Ro Young-baik is Chairman and CEO of Woojoo Electronics. He is interested in expanding global markets in line with the electrification of the automotive industry. He was born on August 17, 1949. He graduated from the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering at Hanyang University and earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the graduate school of The Ohio State University in the United States. After joining Hyundai Yanghaeng (now Doosan Enerbility) as an engineer, he moved to Korea Molex, a foreign connector company, where he worked as head of production, and later served as a plant manager at DuPont Korea. In 1993, he founded Woojoo Electronics (now Woojoo Electronics). He achieved the localization of ultra-precision connectors that had previously depended on overseas suppliers and grew the company into Korea’s No. 1 specialized connector manufacturer, with annual revenue in the KRW 200 billion range (about US$ 143.9 million). The company is rapidly emerging as a strong player in the automotive connector market. #RoYoungbaik #WoojooElectronics #automotiveconnectors #electrification #Koreanmanufacturing #connectortechnology #automotiveindustry #engineeringleader #globalexpansion #precisionengineering
- Chairman of Hongik University
  Lee Myeon-young
  
  Lee Myeon-young is the Chairman of the Hongik Educational Foundation. The Hongik Educational Foundation operates Hongik University under its umbrella. He was born on July 28, 1933, in Seoul. He graduated from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at Seoul National University. He received a master’s degree in business administration from the Graduate School of Business at Korea University and a doctorate in business administration from Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School. After joining Hongik University as a professor in the Department of Business Administration, he became president of the university in 1985. After serving as president for 12 years, he has served as Chairman of the Hongik Educational Foundation since 1997 for nearly 30 years. In November 2025, at the age of 92, he was reappointed and granted an additional four-year term. He is a sixth cousin of former Chairman Lee Do-young, who acquired Hongik University. He has focused on developing the Hwaseong Fourth Industrial Revolution Campus, improving the educational environment, and securing excellence in research and education. #LeeMyeon-young #HongikEducationalFoundation #HongikUniversity #KoreanUniversityLeadership #PrivateUniversityFoundation #HigherEducationKorea #UniversityGovernance #EducationalInnovation #FourthIndustrialRevolutionCampus #AcademicExcellence
- Vice Chairman and CEO of Celltrion
  Kee Woo-sung
  
  Kee Woo-sung is Vice Chairman and CEO of Celltrion. He is focusing on expanding the company’s core biosimilar business while strengthening its capabilities in new drug development. He was born on December 10, 1961, by the lunar calendar. He graduated from Seoul Joongdong High School and the Department of Industrial Engineering at Hanyang University. He began his professional career in the planning office of Daewoo Motor. As a founding member of Nexol Biotech, the predecessor of Celltrion, he was deeply involved in the development of the world’s first antibody biosimilar, Remsima, and its European approval process, and is regarded as a key figure who led Celltrion’s growth. After serving as head of the Production Support Division and head of the Product Development Division, he was appointed CEO in 2015 and secured his fourth consecutive term at the shareholders’ meeting in 2023. He is considered one of Chairman Seo Jung-jin’s closest associates. #Celltrion #KeeWooSung #biosimilar #biopharmaceuticals #Remsima #antibodybiosimilar #newdrugdevelopment #Koreanbiotech #pharmaceuticalindustry #corporateleadership
- Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning at the Office of the President
  Ha Jung-woo
  
  Ha Jung-woo is the Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning at the Office of the President. He is concentrating his capabilities on achieving President Lee Jae-myung’s declared goal of “entering the ranks of the world’s top three AI powers.” He was born on December 22, 1977, in Busan. He graduated from Busan Gudeok High School and the Department of Computer Engineering at Seoul National University. He earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Graduate School of Computer Engineering at Seoul National University. At Naver, he led the development of ‘HyperCLOVA X,’ the world’s third large-scale language model AI. With the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, he was abruptly appointed as the Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, a position newly established at the Office of the President. #HaJungwoo #AIpolicy #PresidentialOffice #LeeJaemyung #ArtificialIntelligence #HyperCLOVAX #NaverAI #KoreaAI #AIfuture #TechLeadership
- CEO of Samsung Epis Holdings and Samsung Bioepis
  Kim Kyung-ah
  
  Kim Kyung-ah is CEO of Samsung Epis Holdings and CEO of Samsung Bioepis. She oversees biosimilar research and development while seeking to expand into new drug development. She was born in 1968. She graduated from the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University and earned a master’s degree in pharmacy from Seoul National University Graduate School. She received a Ph.D. in toxicology from the Johns Hopkins University Graduate School in the United States. She began her career at the U.S. new drug development company HighTech. After working at the biotech company Nuvelo, she served as a researcher at the life sciences company Stemline. She joined Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology as head of the Bio New Drug Group and worked as an executive in charge of the Biopharmaceutical Lab and the Life Sciences Research Center. She later moved to Samsung Bioepis, where she served as head of the Development Division before being appointed CEO in 2024. She is the first female professional manager (CEO) in the Samsung Group. She also serves as the inaugural CEO of Samsung Epis Holdings, a newly established bio investment holding company created following the spin-off from Samsung Biologics. #KimKyungah #SamsungBioepis #SamsungEpisHoldings #biopharmaceuticals #biosimilars #newdrugdevelopment #femaleCEO #SamsungGroup #biotechnology #pharmaceuticalindustry
- President of Kyungnam University
  Park Jae-gyu
  
  Park Jae-gyu is the president of Kyungnam University. He faces the task of addressing the aftermath of the university’s failure to be selected for the Glocal University project and pushing ahead with fundamental reforms to improve the institution’s structure. He was born on August 11, 1944, in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. He graduated from the Department of Political Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University in the United States. He earned a master’s degree in political science from the City University of New York graduate school and a doctoral degree in political science from Kyung Hee University graduate school. In 1973, he joined Kyungnam University as a professor and later served as director of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, where he conducted research on North Korea. He served as chairman of the committee to promote inter-Korean summit talks and as a presidential advisor on unification affairs, and he was Minister of Unification under the Kim Dae-jung administration. His older brother is Park Jong-gyu, former chairman of the Kyungnam Educational Foundation, who served as head of the Presidential Security Service during the Park Chung-hee administration. Park Jae-gyu served for more than 30 years as chairman of the school foundation and as university president. He is currently focusing on fostering the university as a “Physical AI research hub university” and on managing performance following its selection for the Gyeongnam RISE project. #ParkJae-gyu #KyungnamUniversity #SouthKoreaUniversity #HigherEducationReform #GlocalUniversity #PhysicalAI #GyeongnamRISE #UnificationPolicy #MinisterOfUnification #NorthKoreaStudies
- Executive Vice President and CEO-designate of HiteJinro
  Jang In-seop
  
  Jang In-seop is an Executive Vice President and CEO-designate of HiteJinro. He faces the task of strengthening HiteJinro’s profit structure and growth foundation amid a downturn in the alcoholic beverage market. He was born on May 20, 1967, in South Chungcheong Province. He graduated from Suwon University and completed an MBA program at Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School of Business. After joining Jinro, he moved to HiteJinro when Hite Brewery acquired Jinro. At HiteJinro, he served as head of the Management Diagnosis Team and head of the Policy Team within the Management Strategy Office, and later as an executive in charge of the management division, gaining broad experience across legal policy, logistics, management support, and supply chain management (SCM). As Executive Managing Director overseeing the management division, he was responsible for overall management, including business strategy, legal affairs, external relations, and public relations (communication). He was promoted to Vice President in 2025 and was designated as CEO at the end of 2025. He is a veteran of the alcoholic beverage industry, having worked at HiteJinro for about 30 years. He is regarded as a management specialist with deep knowledge of internal operations and strong crisis management capabilities. He is also known for his strong commitment to communication. #HiteJinro #JangInseop #KoreanAlcoholIndustry #CEOdesignate #CorporateManagement #BeverageMarket #CrisisManagement #BusinessStrategy #SupplyChainManagement #KoreaBusiness
- CEO of Samyang Foods
  Kim Dong-chan
  
  Kim Dong-chan is CEO and Vice Chairman of Samyang Foods. He serves as co-CEO alongside Kim Jung-soo, Vice Chairman of Samyang Foods. He is accelerating efforts to expand global production capacity while also focusing on securing new core product lines to succeed Buldak Bokkeum Myeon. He was born in July 1968. He graduated from the Department of Food Processing at Kyung Hee University. A former plant manager at Lotte Confectionery, he joined Samyang Foods in 2016. He served as Iksan Plant Manager, Head of the Noodle Snack Division, and Head of the Production Division, before being appointed CEO in August 2023. He also concurrently serves as Head of the Safety and Health Office. He is a production expert who has accumulated broad experience across manufacturing sites. #KimDongchan #SamyangFoods #Buldak #foodindustry #globalproduction #manufacturingexpert #Kfood #noodleindustry #corporateleadership #foodprocessing

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