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

- Chairman of the National Pension Service
  Kim Sung-joo
  
  Kim Sung-joo is the chairman of the National Pension Service. He was born on April 10, 1964, in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. He graduated from Jeonju High School and the Department of Korean History at Seoul National University. After working as a civic activist, he joined Roh Moo-hyun’s presidential campaign and entered politics by serving as a member of the North Jeolla Provincial Council. He was elected to the 19th National Assembly as a member of the Democratic United Party, now the Democratic Party of Korea. While serving on the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, he focused on the national pension system and welfare policies and supported the relocation of the National Pension Service headquarters and its Fund Management Center to the Jeonbuk Innovation City. In the election for the 20th National Assembly, he lost to Chung Dong-young, a candidate from the People’s Party. He later helped develop the framework for welfare pledges in Moon Jae-in’s presidential campaign. He was appointed chairman of the National Pension Service under the Moon Jae-in administration. He stepped down before completing his term to run in a general election and was subsequently elected to the 21st National Assembly. Under the Lee Jae-myung administration, he was appointed the 19th chairman of the National Pension Service. He is now leading the organization for a second time, becoming the first person in its history to serve twice as chairman. Note: The source text appears to contain a formatting error in “김성주Kim Sung-joo,” where the Korean and English names are written together without a space. #KimSungjoo #NationalPensionService #NPS #SouthKorea #PensionReform #PublicPension #FundManagement #WelfarePolicy #KoreanPolitics #LeeJaemyungAdministration
- CEO of YEST
  Jang Dong-bok
  
  Jang Dong-bok is the CEO of YEST. He is working to develop YEST into a global total solution equipment provider through a diversified portfolio spanning semiconductors, displays, and environmental safety materials. He was born in April 1969 in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He graduated from Chuncheon High School and Incheon Polytechnic College, now JEI University. He worked in the semiconductor industry at companies including Sejong Semiconductor and KC Tech. In 2000, he founded Youngin Tech, the predecessor of YEST. He is one of the founders of Korea’s materials, parts, and equipment industry who helped localize semiconductor and display manufacturing equipment. #JangDongbok #YEST #semiconductors #displayequipment #manufacturingequipment #environmentalsafety #materialscomponentsandequipment #equipmentlocalization #YounginTech #Koreanentrepreneur
- President of Changwon National University
  Park Min-won
  
  Park Min-won is the president of Changwon National University. He is pursuing university innovation with the goal of "developing the university into a prestigious glocal institution and aligning academic cooperation with regional industries." He was born in Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1970. He graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Changwon National University and earned a master's degree from the university's graduate school. He received a doctorate in electrical engineering from Osaka University in Japan. He worked as the technical team leader of the Next-Generation Superconductivity Application Technology Development Project Group at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute. He began his academic career as a full-time lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Changwon National University in 2004 and became a professor in 2015. He served as head of the Creative Human Resources Development Project Group for Mechatronics and director of the Next-Generation Power Technology Application Research Center. In February 2024, he was elected as the university's first president who graduated from the institution. He is a leading authority in next-generation superconducting technology and artificial intelligence-based energy systems. He serves as chairman of the Gyeongnam Future Forum. #ParkMinwon #ChangwonNationalUniversity #UniversityPresident #UniversityInnovation #GlocalUniversity #IndustryAcademiaCooperation #SuperconductingTechnology #ArtificialIntelligence #EnergySystems #GyeongnamFutureForum
- CEO of Korea PIM
  Song Jun-ho
  
  Song Jun-ho is the CEO of Korea PIM. Building on the stable earnings base of its automotive parts business, he is accelerating the company’s expansion into high-value-added new businesses, including humanoid robots and cooling solutions for artificial intelligence data centers. He was born in May 1964. He earned a master’s degree in metallic materials from the graduate school of Yeungnam University. He worked as a researcher at the Central Research Institute of Korea Tungsten Mining, now TaeguTec. In 1994, he served as CEO of Dongbang Steel. In 2001, he founded Korea PIM. He is an owner-manager with a background as a researcher. He has a strong ability to read market trends. #SongJunho #KoreaPIM #MetalInjectionMolding #AutomotiveParts #HumanoidRobots #AIDataCenters #CoolingSolutions #AdvancedMaterials #ManufacturingTechnology #OwnerManagement
- 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
- CEO of SFA
  Kim Sang-kyong
  
  Kim Sang-kyong is the CEO of SFA. He is leading the diversification of the company’s portfolio with a focus on robotic logistics and concentrating on the commercialization of AI-powered autonomous manufacturing as a mid- to long-term goal. He was born on October 7, 1964. He graduated from Yeungnam University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He joined the automation business division of Samsung Aerospace Industries, now Hanwha Aerospace, and worked in the field of automated production. In 1998, when the automation business division was spun off to establish SFA, he joined the company as one of its founding members. At SFA, he was responsible for research and development of display process equipment. He later served as head of the R&D team, head of the process equipment business group and head of the process equipment business division before overseeing the logistics systems business division. He was appointed CEO in December 2025. He is an expert who has worked on the front lines of the automation industry for 38 years, beginning with his time at Samsung Aerospace Industries. As a company insider with broad experience in research and development, process equipment and logistics systems, he has taken the helm of SFA. #KimSangkyong #SFA #automation #roboticlogistics #AImanufacturing #autonomousmanufacturing #processequipment #logisticssystems #researchanddevelopment #HanwhaAerospace
- 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
- Chairman of HYBE’s Board of Directors
  Bang Si-hyuk
  
  Bang Si-hyuk is chairman of the board of directors at HYBE. He is working to diversify HYBE’s revenue structure, which is heavily dependent on its flagship artist, BTS. He is also continuing efforts to discover emerging artists through the multi-label system. He was born in Seoul on August 9, 1972. He graduated from Kyunggi High School and Seoul National University with a degree in aesthetics. He played in a band in middle school and continued composing music while attending Seoul National University. He worked as a producer and chief songwriter at JYP Entertainment. In 2005, he founded Big Hit Entertainment and developed BTS into a globally renowned artist. When the company changed its name to HYBE in 2021, he stepped away from management and retained only his position as chairman of the board. As both a producer and owner, Bang himself was once regarded as a source of HYBE’s competitiveness. However, a series of controversies has raised concerns about owner-related risks. #BangSihyuk #HYBE #BTS #BigHitEntertainment #Kpop #MultiLabelSystem #MusicProducer #JYPEntertainment #EntertainmentIndustry #OwnerRisk
  NEWS
  - • HYBE Bets on KATSEYE to Boost Girl Group Success
- 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

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