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

- CEO of NHN KCP
  Park Jun-seok
  
  Park Jun-seok is the CEO of NHN KCP. He is focusing on a wide range of new businesses, including prepaid payment services, trade payment settlement, and stablecoins, as part of efforts to grow the company into a comprehensive payment service provider. He was born on March 23, 1969. He graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Inha University in 1996. He began his career at LG Soft, where he was responsible for system development and operations within LG Group’s IT development organization. When the group decided to wind down LG Soft’s business, he moved to LG CNS (formerly LG-EDS Systems), where he worked in the system integration (SI) field. He later joined Korea Cyber Payment and became Executive Director in charge of sales at Sysnet, which absorbed Korea Cyber Payment. At Korea Cyber Payment, after Sysnet changed its name, he served as Executive Director in charge of online business, Head of the B2C Business Division (Senior Managing Director), and Head of the O2O Merchant Division (Executive Managing Director), before being promoted to Vice President. In 2017, at NHN Korea Cyber Payment (formerly NHN KCP), which had once again changed its name, he was promoted to President and appointed CEO. Starting his career at NHN KCP’s predecessor Korea Cyber Payment and rising to become CEO, he is recognized as a “one-club man” who contributed to growing the company into Korea’s No. 1 electronic payment gateway (PG) service provider. #NHNKCP #ParkJunseok #paymentgateway #fintech #electronicpayments #prepaidpayments #stablecoin #B2Bpayments #KoreanIT #CEOprofile
- CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical
  Lee Chang-jae
  
  Lee Chang-jae is the CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical. He leads Daewoong Pharmaceutical under a co-CEO system with CEO Park Sung-soo. He aims to go beyond treating diseases with medicines and transform the company into a global healthcare company that connects and manages health data for the entire population. He was born in June 1977. He graduated from Busan High School and the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Dong-A University. After joining Daewoong Pharmaceutical, he was promoted in his early 40s to become the company’s youngest-ever marketing executive as Head of the Marketing Division. He later served as Head of Human Resources and Management, Head of the ETC Division, and Executive Vice President overseeing marketing and sales. In 2021, he was appointed CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical. He was reappointed in 2024. He places strong emphasis on the happiness of employees and has introduced innovations in the way people work. He believes that meaningful results are achieved only when employees develop a strong sense of ownership and move forward toward ambitious goals. He also serves concurrently as CEO of affiliate DanaData.
- CEO of Shinhan Bank
  Jung Sang-hyuk
  
  Jung Sang-hyuk is the CEO of Shinhan Bank. As he enters the final year of his term, he is accelerating efforts to strengthen related capabilities with the goal of becoming a “trusted bank.” He was born on November 26, 1964. He graduated from Daegu Deokwon High School and the Department of International Economics at Seoul National University. He joined Shinhan Bank and worked as head of the Customer Satisfaction Center and head of the Consumer Protection Center. He later served as chief of staff and executive vice president of the Management Planning Group, before becoming deputy president in charge of the Management Planning and Treasury Markets Group. In 2023, he was appointed CEO of Shinhan Bank. He is known for his strong communication skills and proactive personality. He is widely regarded as having outstanding crisis response capabilities. #ShinhanBank #JungSangHyuk #KoreanBanking #BankCEO #FinancialLeadership #ConsumerProtection #CrisisManagement #TrustInBanking #SeoulNationalUniversity #KoreanFinance
  NEWS
  - • Jung Sang-hyuk Reclaims Top Spot for Shinhan Bank — Now Must Defend Both Performance and Internal Controls
  - • All 10 Shinhan Bank Overseas Units Profitable, Jung Sang-hyuk Expands Localization with Equity Investments
- CEO of Woori Technology
  Rho Gab-seon
  
  Rho Gab-seon is the CEO of Woori Technology. Based on nuclear power plant control technology, he has led the company’s business expansion into offshore wind power and the defense sector. He was born on February 10, 1965. He graduated from the Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering at Seoul National University and earned both a master’s and a doctoral degree in control and instrumentation engineering at Seoul National University’s graduate school. After working as a researcher at the Control and Instrumentation Research Center at Seoul National University, he co-founded Woori Technology in 1993 with four seniors and juniors from the same department. He served as head of Woori Technology’s Danek Research Institute and later as head of the company’s research institute, where he led the development of control systems, the company’s core business. As vice president and chief technology officer (CTO), he oversaw the nuclear power system business and led key research and development achievements. He was appointed CEO in 2016, when Woori Technology was facing both internal and external crises. He secured stable growth momentum by leading the successful order for the distributed control system (DCS) for the Shin Kori Units 5 and 6 nuclear power plants.
- CEO in charge of overall management at Celltrion
  Seo Jin-seok
  
  Seo Jin-seok is the CEO in charge of overall management at Celltrion. Together with CEOs Ki Woo-sung and Kim Hyung-ki, he leads Celltrion under a co-CEO system. He was born on August 16, 1984, as the eldest son of Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin, the first of his two sons. He graduated from the Department of Animal Science at Seoul National University and earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Graduate School of Bio and Nano Technology at KAIST. After joining the Celltrion Life Science Research Institute, he served as Head of Product Planning at Celltrion’s R&D Division and as Vice President of Celltrion Skin Cure, before being appointed CEO of Celltrion Skin Cure in 2017. He later returned to Celltrion as Senior Vice President and Head of the Product Development Division. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Celltrion, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Celltrion Holdings, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Celltrion Skin Cure, Internal Director of Celltrion Pharm, and Outside Non-Executive Director of Celltrion Entertainment, before being appointed CEO of the integrated Celltrion in 2023 following the merger of Celltrion and Celltrion Healthcare.
- Vice Chair of the National Economic Advisory Council
  Kim Sung-sik
  
  Kim Sung-sik is the Vice Chair of the National Economic Advisory Council. He focuses on establishing development strategies for the national economy and setting major policy directions. He was born on December 16, 1958, in Busan. He graduated from Busan High School and the Department of Economics at Seoul National University. After becoming involved in the pro-democracy movement, he entered politics. At the time he entered politics, he was classified as part of the progressive camp, but like many former activist politicians, he shifted to conservatism in the mid-1990s. Kim Sung-sik ran as a candidate of the United Democratic Party in the 15th general election and as a candidate of the Grand National Party in the 16th general election, but was defeated in both races. After serving as Vice Governor for Political Affairs under Gyeonggi Province Governor Sohn Hak-kyu in 2004, he entered the National Assembly in 2008 by winning the 18th general election as the Grand National Party candidate for Seoul’s Gwanak-gap district. Kim Sung-sik later left the Grand National Party in 2011 while calling for party reform and ran as an independent candidate in the 19th general election, but failed to return to the National Assembly. In the 20th general election, he won a seat as a candidate of the People’s Party and also served in party leadership roles, including Supreme Council member and Chair of the Policy Committee. Afterward, he stepped away from frontline politics and engaged in what he described as “strategic restraint,” serving as an advisor to Law Firm HwaWoo from 2021 to 2025, before being appointed Vice Chair of the National Economic Advisory Council about 10 years later. #KimSungSik #NationalEconomicAdvisoryCouncil #KoreanPolitics #EconomicPolicy #DemocracyMovement #NationalAssembly #People’sParty #GrandNationalParty #PolicyStrategy #PoliticalCareer
- CEO of STCube
  Jung Hyun-jin
  
  Jung Hyun-jin is the CEO of STCube. He is focusing on the clinical development of the company’s core pipeline, ‘Nelmastobart (hSTC810)’. He is also accelerating efforts to license Nelmastobart to global big pharma companies. He was born on September 23, 1964, in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province. He graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine, earned a master’s degree in medicine at Seoul National University Graduate School, and completed a doctoral course. He worked as a clinical fellow in the Department of Clinical Pathology at Seoul National University Hospital before founding InnoCell in 2002. After selling InnoCell to Green Cross (now GC Green Cross), he acquired STCube in 2013. He also serves as CEO of Biomedical Holdings. He is a physician-turned-owner who developed the liver cancer treatment Immuncell-LC. He is regarded as one of the pioneers who opened the field of immune-oncology drugs in South Korea. #JungHyunjin #STCube #biotechnology #immunooncology #NelmaStobart #hSTC810 #livercancer #ImmuncellLC #Koreanbiotech #drugdevelopment
- CEO of HallaCast
  Oh Jong-doo
  
  Oh Jong-doo is the CEO of HallaCast. He is focused on lightweight auto parts and aims to grow HallaCast into a “future mobility materials unicorn.” He was born in August 1962. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ulsan Technical College. He worked at Samsung Electronics and later at Seocheon Metal. In August 1996, he founded Halla Diecast (HallaCast). He turned crisis into opportunity by completing a corporate workout program early. When the company faced its most difficult period, he instead increased investment in technology and built it into a strong global niche company. He is credited with rapidly shifting the company’s business structure from home appliance parts to future industries such as electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous driving, and robotics. #OhJongdoo #HallaCast #automotiveparts #lightweightmaterials #electricvehicles #autonomousdriving #robotics #manufacturing #Koreanceo #futuremobility
- Chairman of Shinsegae
  Chung Yoo-kyung
  
  Chung Yoo-kyung is the Chairman of Shinsegae. She is pushing for a spin-off centered on Shinsegae Department Store from Shinsegae Group, which is led by her older brother, Chairman Chung Yong-jin. She was born on October 5, 1972, as the younger of two children, one son and one daughter, of Chung Jae-eun, Honorary Chairman of Shinsegae Group, and Lee Myung-hee, General Chairwoman of Shinsegae Group. She graduated from Seoul Arts High School, studied visual design at Ewha Womans University, and majored in graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States. She joined Shinsegae Chosun Hotel as Executive Vice President in charge of marketing. She later moved to Shinsegae, served as President, and was promoted to Chairman in 2024. With a background in design, she has focused on the fashion business and is also showing interest in the cosmetics business. #ChungYooKyung #Shinsegae #ShinsegaeDepartmentStore #RetailIndustry #FashionBusiness #CosmeticsIndustry #CorporateSpinOff #KoreanConglomerates #ChairmanProfile #BusinessBiography
  NEWS
  - • "Alibaba Deal" Chung Yong-jin and "1 Trillion Duty-Free Goal" Chung Yoo-kyung, Key to Shinsegae's Split
  - • Shinsegae Group Begins ‘Chung Yong-jin - Chung Yoo-kyung’ Split, Sparking Ranking Concerns
- President of Konyang University
  Kim Yong-ha
  
  Kim Yong-ha is the President of Konyang University. He was born in 1966 as the eldest son of the late Kim Hee-soo, the founder of Konyang University and Konyang University Hospital and former chairman of the Konyang Educational Foundation. He graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Lynchburg University in Virginia, the United States, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Lynchburg University Graduate School. He later received a doctoral degree in business administration from the Graduate School of Sogang University. He joined Konyang University as a professor in the Department of Hospital Management and served as Vice President for External Affairs. Amid allegations of abuse of power, verbal abuse, and assault, he resigned from his position as vice president along with his father, who was serving as president at the time. After serving as Administrative Director of Konyang Medical Center and Head of the Strategic Support Division at Konyang University Hospital, he was appointed President of Konyang University in 2022. He has served as President of the Korean Academic Society of Service Management and as Chair of the Chungcheongnam-do Green Growth Forum Committee. With Konyang University selected for the Ministry of Education’s Glocal University 30 initiative, he holds a vision to develop Konyang University into Chungcheongnam-do’s leading private university spearheading the “K-defense industry.” #KimYongha #KonyangUniversity #UniversityPresident #KoreanPrivateUniversity #HigherEducationKorea #KDefenseIndustry #GlocalUniversity30 #Chungcheongnamdo #UniversityLeadership #MedicalEducation

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