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

- President of Hoban Construction overseeing overall management
  Park Chul-hee
  
  Park Chul-hee is CEO and president of Hoban Construction. He also serves as chairman of the company’s board of directors. He was born on May 25, 1971. He completed an MBA program at Konkuk University Graduate School of Business Administration. After joining Hoban Construction, he was appointed CEO of Sky Valley Country Club, a golf course affiliate of Hoban Construction, in 2009 while still in his 30s. After Hoban Construction Industry merged with Hoban Construction, he served as head of the Business Management Division and vice president at Hoban Construction before being appointed CEO and president in 2018. He also headed Hoban, which later merged with Hoban Construction. He briefly stepped down as CEO while Hoban Construction prepared for an initial public offering, but returned as sole CEO after the IPO was postponed. He emphasizes strong fundamentals. He resolves difficult problems by confronting them head-on. #ParkChulhee #HobanConstruction #ConstructionIndustry #CorporateLeadership #BusinessManagement #BoardChairman #ChiefExecutiveOfficer #IPO #ManagementStrategy #ExecutiveBiography
- Vice Chairman of SAMT
  Hong Wan-hoon
  
  Hong Wan-hoon is vice chairman of SAMT. He is driving record-breaking earnings growth by securing inventory in advance to prepare for a surge in demand for artificial intelligence semiconductors. He was born on November 14, 1959. He graduated from Whimoon High School in Seoul and earned a degree in electronic engineering from Inha University. He joined Samsung Electronics and worked as head of a sales team, head of a Chinese set-product subsidiary, and head of marketing for the Memory Business. He rose to vice president after serving as head of Samsung Semiconductor Inc. (SSI), the company’s U.S. subsidiary, and head of strategic marketing for the Semiconductor Business. He later moved to Samsung Electro-Mechanics, where he served in positions including head of the Strategic Marketing Office. In 2023, he joined SAMT as vice chairman. He is an expert in sales and marketing. He has strong capabilities in overseas sales and business-to-business (B2B) marketing. He is accelerating efforts to expand the company’s market dominance by strengthening its global network and diversifying its product portfolio. #HongWanhoon #SAMT #semiconductors #AIsemiconductors #SamsungElectronics #SamsungElectroMechanics #B2Bmarketing #globalnetwork #inventorystrategy #marketexpansion
- Hyundai Department Store Group Chairman and Hyundai Department Store CEO
  Chung Ji-sun
  
  Chung Ji-sun is the chairman of Hyundai Department Store Group. He also serves as CEO of Hyundai Department Store. While continuing to improve the performance of the department store and duty-free businesses, he faces the task of raising the growth potential of the living business centered on Zinus. He was born on Oct. 20, 1972, in Seoul as the eldest son of Chung Mong-keun, honorary chairman of Hyundai Department Store. After graduating from Kyungbock High School in Seoul, he studied sociology at Yonsei University and later completed the special student program at Harvard University and the Asian economics program at Harvard University’s graduate school. He worked at Hyundai Department Store as head of the planning office and as vice president in charge of planning and management. After serving as executive vice chairman of Hyundai Department Store Group, he became chairman in 2007 when his father stepped back from front-line management. He communicates with employees without formality. He has shown warm-hearted leadership. #ChungJi-sun #HyundaiDepartmentStore #HyundaiDepartmentStoreGroup #Zinus #dutyfree #departmentstore #livingbusiness #leadership #retail #Koreanbusiness
  NEWS
  - • Chung Ji-sun and Chung Kyo-sun’s Sibling Leadership at Hyundai Department Store Group—No Split?
  - • Chung Ji-sun Speeds Up Holding Company Transition, Strengthens Shareholder Trust
- Chairman of Eugene Group
  Yu Kyung-sun
  
  Yu Kyung-sun is chairman of Eugene Group. After expanding Eugene Group’s business portfolio from its core ready-mixed concrete business into construction materials logistics and securities, he is focusing on transforming the group into an artificial intelligence (AI) company that combines manufacturing and services. He was born on August 3, 1955, as the eldest of four sons of Yoo Jae-pil, the founder of Eugene Group. He graduated from Joongdong High School in Seoul and Yonsei University with a degree in Chinese language and literature. In 1985, he became president and CEO of Eugene General Development and entered the ready-mixed concrete business, leading the company to the top position in the industry. After serving as chairman of Eugene Corporation, he succeeded his father, Eugene Group Honorary Chairman Yoo Jae-pil, as group chairman in 2004. He achieved vertical integration in the concrete business by acquiring numerous companies, including Korea Cement, Logen Express, Hi-Mart and Tongyang, through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He also diversified the group’s business portfolio into logistics, distribution and construction materials, elevating it into the ranks of Korea’s mid-sized business groups. In 2023, he acquired YTN and resumed the group’s content business, which had been temporarily suspended. Even after selling Eugene Savings Bank, he has continued to show interest in the financial industry by investing in Woori Financial Group. He frequently refers to the "Four-Gold Management Theory." #YuKyungsun #EugeneGroup #readyMixedConcrete #constructionMaterials #logistics #securities #artificialIntelligence #mergersAndAcquisitions #YTN #financialIndustry
- CJ Group chairman
  Lee Jay-hyun
  
  Lee Jay-hyun is chairman of CJ Group. He is preparing for management succession through his eldest son, Lee Sun-ho, head of CJ’s Future Planning Group, and his eldest daughter, Lee Kyoung-hoo, head of CJ ENM’s Brand Strategy Office. He was born on March 19, 1960, in Seoul as the second of one daughter and two sons of Lee Maeng-hee, former honorary chairman of CJ, and Son Bok-nam, former management adviser of CJ CheilJedang. His older sister is Lee Mi-kyung, vice chair of CJ Group, and his younger brother is Lee Jae-hwan, chairman of Jaesan Holdings. He graduated from Kyungbock High School in Seoul and Korea University with a degree in law. He worked at Citibank before joining CheilJedang. He moved to Samsung Electronics’ Strategic Planning Office, then returned and became CEO of CheilJedang in 1997. In 2002, he led CheilJedang’s separation and independence from Samsung Group, then expanded its business areas from food into logistics, biotechnology and media. He served time in prison after being sentenced to a prison term on charges including tax evasion, but was released through a Liberation Day special pardon. He returned to management in 2017 and has been directing mergers and acquisitions as well as the restructuring of affiliates’ governance structures. #LeeJayhyun #CJGroup #CJCheilJedang #CJENM #LeeSunho #LeeKyounghoo #SamsungGroup #ManagementSuccession #KoreanBusiness #BusinessBiography
  NEWS
  - • Lee Jay-hyun’s Confidence in CJ’s "Global Cultural Empire" – K-Beauty Joins K-Food and K-Content
  - • CJ Group Lee Jae-hyun Holds Management Meeting After Executive Appointments: "Chance for Global Leap"
- Chairman and CEO of MiCo
  Jeon Sun-kyu
  
  Jeon Sun-kyu is the chairman and CEO of MiCo. He was born in Seoul on April 24, 1958. He graduated from Inchang High School in Seoul and earned a degree in business administration from Seoul National University. He began his career at Hyundai Electronics Industries, now SK hynix. He later worked in semiconductor equipment-related positions at Leybold Korea and Team Korea. He founded KoMiCo in 1996. He later split the company into MiCo and KoMiCo through a spin-off. He grew the company by localizing cleaning and coating technologies for semiconductor equipment components. He successfully expanded its business into ceramic materials, fuel cells, biotechnology and other fields. #JeonSun-kyu #MiCo #KoMiCo #semiconductor #semiconductorequipment #cleaningtechnology #coatingtechnology #ceramicmaterials #fuelcells #biotechnology
- CEO of Wonik QnC
  Baek Hong-ju
  
  Baek Hong-ju is the CEO of Wonik QnC. He is focusing on expanding the company’s production capacity for semiconductor quartz products. He is also accelerating efforts to build a total solutions system by diversifying its global customer base and expanding the scale of its business. He was born on December 3, 1961. He graduated from the Department of Applied Physics at Inha University. He joined Samsung Electronics and worked at its Semiconductor Research Center. He later moved to the Memory Business Division, where he served as a project leader, head of the company’s Chinese subsidiary, and head of the Manufacturing Technology Center. He also served as executive vice president overseeing testing and system packaging. In 2022, he was recruited as president and CEO of Wonik QnC. He is a semiconductor expert who built his career at Samsung Electronics. He places great importance on maintaining an overwhelming technological advantage. #BaekHongju #WonikQnC #semiconductor #quartz #SamsungElectronics #semiconductorexpert #productioncapacity #globalcustomers #totalsolutions #technologyleadership
- Mayor of Ulsan Metropolitan City
  Kim Sang-wook
  
  Kim Sang-wook is the mayor of Ulsan. He is focusing on solving Ulsan’s pending issues while emphasizing “citizen-sovereignty administration” and “pragmatism.” He was born on January 1, 1980, in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province. He graduated from Yeongjin High School in Daegu and Korea University’s Department of Law. He graduated from Pusan National University Law School as a member of its first class and passed the first bar examination. After working in the financial sector at companies including Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance and Woori Bank, he worked in Ulsan as managing attorney at The Jeongseong Law Firm and served for more than 10 years as a legal adviser to Nam District Office and Nam District Council. After serving as legal advisory committee chair of the People Power Party’s Ulsan chapter, he entered politics in the 2024 22nd general election, when he was elected as a National Assembly member for Ulsan Nam District A through the party’s public recommendation system. He held key posts, including floor deputy leader of the People Power Party and chair of the party’s Ulsan chapter, but during the Dec. 3 insurrection incident, he showed his convictions by standing against his party’s position and taking part alone in the impeachment vote against former President Yoon Suk Yeol. After leaving the People Power Party in May 2025, he declared support for President Lee Jae-myung and abruptly joined the Democratic Party of Korea. In the 9th nationwide local elections held in June 2026, he ran in the Ulsan mayoral election as the Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate and was elected. Politically, he aims to be a rational conservative and has an easygoing personality. #KimSangwook #UlsanMayor #Ulsan #DemocraticPartyOfKorea #PeoplePowerParty #YoonSukYeol #LeeJaemyung #CitizenSovereignty #Pragmatism #KoreanPolitics
- Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
  Woo Sang-ho
  
  Woo Sang-ho is governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. He is seeking to transform the province’s industrial structure by attracting AI data centers to Gangwon Province. He served as senior presidential secretary for political affairs at the presidential office under the Lee Jae-myung administration. He was born on December 12, 1962, in Odeok-ri, Dongsong-eup, Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, as the youngest of three sons and one daughter. He graduated from Yongmoon High School in Seoul and the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Yonsei University. He received a master’s degree in public policy from Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Public Administration. While attending university, he served as student council president and the first vice chairman of the National Council of Student Representatives, known as Jeondaehyeop. He ran in Seoul’s Seodaemun A constituency in the 16th general election but was defeated. He entered the National Assembly after winning the Seoul Seodaemun A constituency as a candidate of the Uri Party, now the Democratic Party of Korea, in the 17th general election. After losing in the 18th general election, he won the 19th, 20th and 21st general elections, becoming a four-term lawmaker. After serving several times as a spokesperson, he became floor leader of the Democratic Party during the 20th National Assembly. He later served as interim leader of the Democratic Party of Korea after the party lost the June 1, 2022 local elections. He is an eloquent politician known for his rational thinking and down-to-earth manner. The original text contains “우상호Woo Sang-ho는,” where the Korean and English names appear together without a space. This was translated as “Woo Sang-ho is.” #WooSangho #GangwonGovernor #GangwonProvince #AIDatacenter #IndustrialTransformation #LeeJaemyungAdministration #DemocraticPartyOfKorea #NationalAssembly #KoreanPolitics #PoliticalBiography
- HD Hyundai Chairman and CEO
  Chung Ki-sun
  
  Chung Ki-sun is chairman and CEO of HD Hyundai. He also serves as CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for the shipbuilding division, and HD Hyundai Site Solutions, the intermediate holding company for the construction equipment division. He was born in Seoul on May 3, 1982, as the eldest son among the two sons and two daughters of Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation. He graduated from Daewon Foreign Language High School in Seoul and Yonsei University’s Department of Economics, and completed an MBA program at Stanford Graduate School of Business in the United States. After joining Hyundai Heavy Industries, he studied in the United States and then worked at the Korean office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He rejoined Hyundai Heavy Industries and served as head of the finance division and head of the shipbuilding and offshore sales division before becoming CEO of Hyundai Global Service, now HD Hyundai Marine Solution, in 2017. After serving as head of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group’s Shipbuilding & Offshore Sales Division, he began to step to the forefront of group management in earnest by taking on the roles of CEO of HD Hyundai and CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. He ended HD Hyundai Group’s professional management system and opened an owner-management system for the first time in 37 years. He actively attends external events and enjoys skiing, hiking, swimming, golf and tennis. #ChungKiSun #HDHyundai #HDKoreaShipbuilding #HDHyundaiMarineSolution #HyundaiHeavyIndustries #shipbuilding #constructionequipment #ownerManagement #KoreanBusinessLeader #executiveBiography
  NEWS
  - • HD Hyundai Bets Big with Unified Shipbuilding Push Against China
  - • Chung Ki-sun Nears Final Hurdle in HD Hyundai Succession — More Than a Golden Spoon?

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