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

- CEO of Hyundai Glovis
  Lee Kyoo-bok
  
  Lee Kyoo-bok is the President and CEO of Hyundai Glovis. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He is focusing his efforts on enhancing corporate value by promoting new businesses such as smart logistics solutions and battery recycling. He was born on April 25, 1968, in Busan. He graduated from Nakdong High School in Busan and the Department of Economics at Seoul National University. He joined Hyundai Motor Company, where he served as Head of Sales in France, CFO of the production subsidiary in the Americas, and Head of the Process Innovation Division. He was appointed CEO of Hyundai Glovis in 2023. He is a strategic planning expert with a background in finance and overseas sales. He is credited with laying the foundation for a “profitability-focused regional management system” at Hyundai Motor Company. #LeeKyooBok #HyundaiGlovis #BatteryRecycling #SmartLogistics #HyundaiMotor #CEO #CFO #GlobalBusiness #StrategicPlanning #ProfitabilityManagement
- CEO of Coway
  Seo Jang-won
  
  Seo Jang-won is the CEO of Coway. After Netmarble acquired Coway, he completed the integration process and took over as CEO, leading the company to achieve its first KRW 4 trillion (US$ 2.9 billion) in revenue in the industry. He was born on May 8, 1970. He graduated from Yeouido High School in Seoul and earned a degree in economics from Westminster University in the United States. After graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Law, he obtained his license to practice law and returned to Korea, where he worked as a senior attorney at law firm Sejong. In 2015, he was recruited by Bang Jun-hyuk and joined Netmarble, where he successfully led acquisitions of Jam City, the world’s second-largest puzzle game developer, and U.S. game company Kabam. He served as chairman of the Netmarble Cultural Foundation and as executive vice president in charge of investment strategy and communications. Following the acquisition of Coway in 2020, he served as CFO, co-CEO and executive vice president, and president before being appointed sole CEO and president in January 2023. Building on the milestone of exceeding KRW 1 trillion (US$ 720.9 million) in revenue in Malaysia, he is focusing on expanding into new markets in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Japan. #SeoJangwon #Coway #Netmarble #globalexpansion #BangJunhyuk #JamCity #Kabam #CFOtoCEO #Koreabusiness #homeappliances
- Chairman of the Board at Com2uS Holdings
  Song Byung-joon
  
  Song Byung-joon is the chairman of the board at Com2uS Holdings. He also serves as the chairman of the board at Com2uS and WYSIWYG Studios. He is focusing on expanding business areas through strategic investments in order to grow into a global content and platform company. He was born on January 8, 1976, in Daegu. He graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Seoul National University. He founded Fitsnet (now Com2uS Holdings) and dedicated himself to developing mobile games for feature phones. After renaming the company to Gamevil, he acquired Com2uS, which was considered one of the two major players in mobile gaming alongside Gamevil, thereby expanding the company’s scale. He is broadening his scope into content areas with companies like WYSIWYG Studios. He is also interested in expanding the intellectual properties (IP) of core revenue sources such as “Summoners War” and “Com2uS Pro Baseball,” and in discovering new lineups by expanding other intellectual properties. He serves as the chairman of the Korea Venture Business Association. He is known for his determination and strong competitive spirit. #SongByungjoon #Com2uSHoldings #Com2uS #WYSIWYGStudios #SummonersWar #Gamevil #KoreaVentureBusinessAssociation #mobilegames #IPbusiness #Kcontent
- Minister of Education
  Lee Ju-ho
  
  Lee Ju-ho is the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education. Except for Park Soon-ae, the former Minister of Education who voluntarily resigned just 35 days after taking office, he is effectively the first education minister under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. He is leading the Ministry of Education during a government without a president, following the Constitutional Court's decision to remove former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office. He must accelerate efforts to resolve legislative conflicts while also addressing the numerous pending education reform issues. He was born on February 17, 1961, in Chilgok, Gyeongsangbuk-do. He graduated from Daegu Chunggoo High School and Seoul National University with a degree in international economics. He earned a master’s degree in economics from Seoul National University Graduate School and a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University in the United States. As a professor at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), he specialized in vocational education and employment policy at both KDI and the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, establishing himself as an expert in education. Under the Lee Myung-bak administration, he served as the first Senior Secretary for Education, Science and Culture, the First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and later as the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, taking the lead in shaping education policy. In the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education in November 2022. He emphasizes performance and holds the belief that education should be based on autonomy and competition. He is known for being meticulous and highly driven, though some say he lacks interpersonal charm. #LeeJuho #KoreanEducationMinister #EducationReform #YoonSukyeol #KDI #KoreaDevelopmentInstitute #DeputyPrimeMinister #VocationalEducation #CornellUniversity #KoreanPolitics
- CEO of CJ Logistics
  Shin Young-soo
  
  Shin Young-soo is the CEO of CJ Logistics. He aims to strengthen the company’s competitive position through investments in facility infrastructure and advanced logistics technologies. He is also promoting the construction of a large-scale logistics center in the United States and the public listing of the Indian subsidiary, CJ Darcl Logistics, on the local stock exchange. He was born on October 28, 1966. He graduated from the Department of Agricultural Education at Seoul National University and completed the MBA program at Sogang University Graduate School of Business. He began his career at CheilJedang, later moving to CJ O Shopping where he worked in human resources. He then returned to CJ CheilJedang, serving as HR team leader, deputy director of the Talent Development Center, and head of HR support for the BIO division. In 2019, he was appointed CEO of CJ Feed & Care. At CJ Logistics, he served as CEO of the Parcel and E-commerce division, and concurrently as CEO of the Korea Business Division and the Global Business Division. In February 2024, he was appointed CEO of CJ Logistics. He is known for his enthusiasm, determination, and strong drive to push initiatives forward. He also serves as the chairman of the Korea Integrated Logistics Association. #ShinYoungsoo #CJLogistics #CJDarclLogistics #logisticsCEO #globallogistics #USlogisticscenter #logisticsinvestment #CJGroup #Koreanbusinessleader #KoreaIntegratedLogisticsAssociation
  NEWS
  - • CJ Logistics Global Business on a Growth Trajectory, Shin Young-soo Strengthens Logistics Technology
  - • CJ Logistics reported a 2nd quarter operating profit of KRW 125.4 billion (US$ 90.4 million)
- Chairman of Jahwa Electronics
  Kim Sang-myeon
  
  Kim Sang-myeon is the chairman and CEO of Jahwa Electronics. Together with his son, Kim Chan-yong, who serves as CEO and president, he leads the company under a co-CEO system. He is focusing on securing new clients such as Apple in the United States and expanding production capacity. He was born on February 10, 1946, in Cheongwon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. He graduated from Cheongju Technical High School and earned a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Hanyang University. He began his career at Poongsan Metal, then worked as a researcher at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and as a lecturer in the Department of Materials Engineering at Kyungpook National University before founding Jahwa Electronics in 1981. He became chairman and CEO of Jahwa Electronics in 2012. He is known as a workaholic who loves working so much that he is often called one. He prefers to be known as an engineer rather than a businessman. He localized the PTC Thermistor, which had been entirely imported from Japan, using proprietary technology. By leveraging core technology in the magnet field, he has continuously expanded the business and grown Jahwa Electronics into a company with KRW 600 billion (US$ 432.5 million) in revenue. #KimSangmyeon #JahwaElectronics #Koreanbusinessleader #magnettechnology #PTCthermistor #localization #Applepartner #engineeringCEO #KRW600billion #Koreanindustryleader
- Chairman of Creverse
  Kim Young-hwa
  
  Kim Young-hwa is the Chairman of Creverse. He is the founder of Creverse, which began as a language academy business with institutions such as Cheongdam Language Institute and April Language Institute, and now operates educational services both domestically and internationally. He was born on April 5, 1952. He graduated from the Department of Philosophy at Seoul National University and earned a master’s degree in philosophy from the graduate school of the same university. After working as an English exam preparation instructor, he felt a lingering attachment to academics and went to Germany to study philosophy at the Free University of Berlin. Realizing that academia was not his calling, he returned to Korea and founded Cheongdam Language Institute (now Creverse) in 1998. In 2022, he merged with CMS Edu, a company specializing in math and integrated education, and launched Creverse. He is focusing his efforts on expanding the business in the global market, particularly in the Asian region. #KimYounghwa #Creverse #educationbusiness #CheongdamLanguageInstitute #AprilLanguageInstitute #CMSedu #Koreanentrepreneur #philosophymajor #FreeUniversityofBerlin #globalexpansion
- CEO of SMEC
  Choi Young-sup
  
  Choi Young-sup is the CEO of SMEC. He is leading the acquisition of Hyundai WIA, the second-largest company in South Korea’s machine tool industry, as SMEC aims to solidify its position among the top three domestic firms. He is focusing on strengthening both the company’s scale and financial soundness. He was born on January 9, 1969. He graduated from Dongguk University with a degree in accounting. Choi began his career in the finance team at New Core and later worked in the corporate planning department at Unix Electronics. In 2009, he joined SMEC as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was appointed CEO of SMEC in 2015. Choi led a reverse merger through M&A and became the largest shareholder in 2023 by acquiring the shares of the major shareholder. He views battery recycling as a new growth engine and is actively working on technological development and market expansion. He also serves as CEO of the subsidiary, Techssen. #SMEC #ChoiYoungsup #HyundaiWIA #machineTools #reverseMerger #batteryRecycling #Techssen #SouthKoreaIndustry #corporateLeadership #manufacturingInnovation
- Chairman of LS Group
  Koo Ja-eun
  
  Koo Ja-eun is the chairman of LS Group. He emphasizes a so-called “ambidextrous management” approach, aiming to both strengthen the group’s main business in electric power equipment and foster future growth areas—namely batteries, electric vehicles, and semiconductors. In line with the group's tradition of family management, he will lead LS Group until 2029, serving as a bridge into the third generation of ownership leadership. Born on October 18, 1964, in Seoul, he is the eldest son of honorary chairman Koo Doo-hoe of Yesco Holdings. He is part of the second generation of business leaders in the extended LG family and a nephew of LG Group’s founder, Koo In-hwoi. He graduated from the affiliated high school of Hongik University in Seoul, then studied business administration at Benedictine University in the United States. He also completed an MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He began his career at LG Caltex Oil and later worked at LG Electronics before the group's separation. He has since held positions at LS Cable & System, LS-Nikko Copper (now LSMnM), LS Cable, and LS Mtron before becoming chairman of LS Group. He has ushered in an era where LS Group achieves over 1 trillion won in annual operating profit by riding the wave of global power grid expansion. Known for his soft charisma, he places strong emphasis on field-oriented management and personally engages with employees. His prowess in overseas sales has been recognized, and he is fluent in English, Chinese, and Japanese. He is known for his approachable personality, which is rare among business owners. At one point, he made headlines for keeping bees in his backyard. #KooJaeEun #LSGroup #AmbidextrousManagement #BatteryEVSemiconductor #LGFamily #GlobalLeadership #SoftCharisma #FieldManagement #Multilingual #BeekeepingChairman
  NEWS
  - • Koo Ja-eun Building LS's Future with Ambidextrous Management, But Market Disconnect Remains a Blemish
  - • LS Group Expands Battery and Electric Vehicle Business Portfolio as New Growth Engines
- CEO of Kumho Petrochemical
  Park Jun-kyung
  
  Park Jun-kyung is the President and CEO of Kumho Petro Chemical. He is a third-generation business executive of the Kumho Petro Chemical Group. He is focused on strengthening the company’s eco-friendly portfolio to foster future core businesses and solidify its position as a leading company in the industry. Born on April 30, 1978, he is the eldest son of Park Chan-koo, Chairman of Kumho Petro Chemical Group. He graduated from Goojung High School in Seoul and studied Environmental Engineering at Korea University. In 2007, he began his career as a deputy general manager at Kumho Tire. He later moved to Kumho Petro Chemical, where he gained experience primarily in sales, serving as Managing Director of Resin Sales and then as Executive Vice President and Head of the Sales Division. In December 2022, he was appointed President and CEO of Kumho Petro Chemical. He is known for his humility and places great importance on maintaining horizontal relationships. #ParkJunkyung #KumhoPetroChemical #KoreanBusinessLeader #ThirdGenerationCEO #EcoFriendlyBusiness #EnvironmentalEngineering #KoreaUniversity #KumhoGroup #ChemicalIndustry #LeadershipStyle

Types of Companies