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

- Executive Vice President and Head of the Future Business Division at Nongshim
  Shin Sang-yeol
  
  Shin Sang-yeol is Executive Vice President and Head of the Future Business Division at Nongshim. He is strengthening the succession structure while focusing on fostering Nongshim’s future new business areas. He was born on November 2, 1993, as the eldest son of Shin Dong-won, Chairman of Nongshim Group, and the eldest grandson of Shin Chun-ho, the founder of Nongshim Group. He graduated from Columbia University in the United States with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He joined Nongshim as an entry-level employee in the Corporate Planning Team and later gained the title of executive as Managing Director and Head of the Purchasing Office. He was promoted to Senior Vice President and Head of the Future Business Division, and in 2025 was appointed CEO of Nongshim Holdings America. He was rapidly promoted to Executive Vice President just seven years after joining the company and was appointed as an internal director of Nongshim in 2026. #Nongshim #ShinSangyeol #KoreaBusiness #Succession #FoodIndustry #CorporateLeadership #NextGeneration #FamilyBusiness #GlobalExpansion #ExecutiveProfile
- CEO of Cosmo Chemical
  Kim Doo-young
  
  Kim Doo-young is the CEO of Cosmo Chemical. He is focusing on reorganizing the business structure while speeding up the building of a waste battery recycling value chain and the diversification of profit models. He was born on December 13, 1966. He graduated from Konkuk University with a degree in electronic engineering and joined Samsung Electro-Mechanics. He worked as head of the LCR Development Team, head of the LCR Manufacturing Team, and head of the Component Manufacturing Team at Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and also served as vice president in charge of the Component Business Division. In 2025, he was recruited as CEO of Cosmo Chemical. He is a materials and components expert from Samsung Electro-Mechanics. #CosmoChemical #KimDooYoung #batteryrecycling #wastebattery #recyclingvaluechain #businessrestructuring #profitdiversification #SamsungElectroMechanics #materialscomponents #KoreanCEO
- Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy
  Kim Jeong-kwan
  
  Kim Jeong-kwan is the first Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy in the Lee Jae-myung administration. He is focusing his policy capabilities on responding to trade pressure from the Trump administration in the United States, managing the energy security crisis caused by the Iran war, and pushing for industrial restructuring. He was born in 1968 in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. He graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School and Seoul National University, where he majored in economics. He received a master’s degree and a doctorate in economics from the University of Missouri. He entered public service through the 36th Administrative Examination and worked at the Ministry of Finance, the Presidential Secretariat, and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). At the Ministry of Economy and Finance, he served as director of the Comprehensive Policy Division and director of the Economic Analysis Division, and at the Bank of Korea he worked as head of the Capital Market Department and head of the International Economy Department. After returning to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, he served as director general for policy planning, then moved to Doosan Management Research Institute as deputy head of the Strategy Support Office, and in 2019 was appointed president and CEO of Doosan Management Research Institute. In 2025, he served as head of the Marketing Division at Doosan Enerbility and took part in competition for nuclear power plant orders. #KimJeong-kwan #LeeJae-myung #MinisterofTradeIndustryandEnergy #Trumpadministration #EnergySecurity #IranWar #IndustrialRestructuring #DoosanEnerbility #NuclearPower #SouthKoreaPolicy
- Chairman of Samchundang Pharm
  Yoon Dai-in
  
  Yoon Dai-in is the Chairman of Samchundang Pharm. He transformed the company into a bio-innovation firm and led it to become the No.1 company on the KOSDAQ by market capitalization. He faces the task of addressing market skepticism about the company’s technological capabilities. He was born on March 23, 1950, as the second son of Yoon Duk-sun, the founder of Ilsong Foundation and Hallym University Medical Center. He graduated from Kyunggi High School in Seoul and the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Seoul National University. He completed an MBA program at Long Island University in the United States. He worked as a planning manager at Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, founded by his father, and later established Sohwa, a company supplying hospital materials. He acquired Samchundang and became CEO of Samchundang Pharm. He served as Vice President of Administration at Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Head of the Operations Division at Ilsong Foundation and Hallym University Medical Center, and later became Chairman of the Sungshim Medical Foundation, which operates Gangdong Sacred Heart Hospital. At Samchundang Pharm, he placed his son-in-law, President Jeon In-seok, who had been serving as co-CEO, at the forefront of management as the sole CEO. Meanwhile, he serves as Chairman and CEO of Sohwa, the largest shareholder of the company. #YoonDaiin #SamchundangPharm #KOSDAQ #BioInnovation #KoreanPharma #HealthcareLeadership #IlsongFoundation #HallymUniversity #CorporateGovernance #PharmaceuticalIndustry
- Vice Chairman and CEO of Mirae Asset Life Insurance
  Park Hyeon-joo
  
  Kim Jae-sik Park Hyeon-joo is Vice Chairman and CEO of Mirae Asset Life Insurance. He has set out the goal of building a Korean-style “Berkshire Hathaway” model that combines the core insurance business with investment. He was born on the lunar calendar date of February 20, 1967, in Okgu, North Jeolla Province. He graduated from Unho High School in Cheongju and the Department of Business Administration at Sogang University, and completed an MBA program in financial management at Sogang University Graduate School of Business. After working at Dongyang Fire Insurance, Hannam Investment Trust, and Joongang Comprehensive Finance, he worked at Mirae Asset Securities as Head of the Asset Management Division, Chief Risk Officer (CRO), and Head of the Equity Derivatives Center. After serving as Executive Vice President in charge of Value Management at Mirae Asset Life Insurance, he was appointed co-CEO with Vice Chairman Ha Man-deok after PCA Life was merged into Mirae Asset Life Insurance in 2018. He moved to Mirae Asset Daewoo, now Mirae Asset Securities, where he served as President of the Innovation Promotion Group and President in charge of PI. After returning to Mirae Asset Life Insurance, he was appointed Vice Chairman and CEO in charge of Management, and since 2024 he has continued the co-CEO system with Hwang Moon-kyu, Executive Vice President and CEO of Mirae Asset Life Insurance. He is showing strength in the asset management sector, where he has expertise, and is continuing to strengthen investment returns. #MiraeAssetLifeInsurance #KimJaeSik #ParkHyeonJoo #insurance #investment #BerkshireHathaway #assetmanagement #MiraeAssetSecurities #KoreaFinance #CEO
  NEWS
  - • 'Giant' Mirae Asset's Park Hyeon-joo, Relentlessly Marching Toward a Global Investment Bank
- Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group and CEO of Hana Securities
  Kang Seong-muk
  
  Kang Seong-muk is Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group and CEO of Hana Securities. He oversees stronger business expertise and expanded collaboration across the group’s retail and wealth management, corporate and investment banking (CIB), and capital markets divisions. He was born in Cheongju on September 27, 1964. He graduated from Cheongju Shinheung High School and the Department of Sociology at Sogang University. He began his career at Commercial Bank of Korea. At Hana Bank, he served as head of the Management Support and Sales Support Group and as executive vice president, and later worked as vice president of Hana UBS Asset Management. In 2022, he was appointed CEO of Hana Alternative Asset Management, and after just one year was named CEO of Hana Securities and Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group. In 2025, he succeeded in securing a third consecutive term. He is regarded as a key first-term aide to Ham Young-joo, having worked with him since Ham Young-joo’s time as chairman. He is focusing his capabilities on productive finance. As a sales expert, he is said to be easygoing and humble. There are no major typos in the original text, but “3연임” could be read slightly differently depending on context. I translated it as “a third consecutive term,” which is the most natural rendering in this context. #KangSeongmuk #HanaFinancialGroup #HanaSecurities #wealthmanagement #CIB #capitalmarkets #Koreanfinance #bankingleadership #productivefinance #financialservices
  NEWS
  - • Salesman No.1 Kang Seong-muk Eyes Hana Financial Chair with Sales DNA
  - • Misguided Customer Service? Hana Securities Stunned by Branch Investigation Over Leaked Probe Details
- President and CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics
  Kim Wan-soo
  
  Kim Wan-soo is the President and CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics. He faces the task of stabilizing profitability while also successfully completing an initial public offering. The company is also expanding its business beyond industrial robots into collaborative robots, humanoids, and automation solutions. He was born in 1969. He graduated from Korea University with a degree in geology. He earned a master's degree in project management from Northwestern University in the United States and completed the MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He began his career at Jacobs Engineering in the United States, moved to Samsung Engineering, and then was promoted to Executive Vice President at Samsung C&T, where he served as Head of the Plant Business Division and Head of the New Business Planning Office. He was recruited as Head of the New Business Planning Office at HD Hyundai, then Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, and became a member of the HD Hyundai Group. After serving as Head of the Management Planning Office at HD Hyundai and Head of the ESG Business Division at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, he was appointed CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics in November 2023. As an executive personally recruited by HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun, he was given the role of putting the group's vision into concrete form at the forefront of the robot business, which the group had identified as one pillar of its future industries. #HDHyundai #HDRobotics #KimWansoo #industrialrobots #collaborativerobots #humanoids #automationsolutions #IPO #profitability #roboticsstrategy
- CEO of LS Eco Energy
  Lee Sang-ho
  
  Lee Sang-ho is the CEO of LS Eco Energy, formerly LS Cable & System Asia. He is leading the company's transformation into a specialized business focused on energy and key strategic materials. He was born on August 17, 1968. After graduating from Yeouido High School in Seoul, he majored in accounting at Michigan State University in the United States. He received a master's degree in finance from the University of Illinois. He joined LG Securities and worked at its London office and at the New York office of the accounting firm KPMG. After serving as CFO of Cyprus Investment, an LS Cable & System investment subsidiary in the United States, he took the role of head of the finance division and CFO at LS Cable & System. In 2023, he was appointed CEO of LS Cable & System Asia, a subsidiary of LS Cable & System that is now LS Eco Energy, and has held the two positions concurrently. He led the company to "record its highest earnings ever" and "diversify its business portfolio." He expanded the market beyond Vietnam into North America and Europe, and established new businesses including rare earths. #LSEcoEnergy #LeeSangho #LSCableSystemAsia #energy #strategicmaterials #rareearths #Vietnam #NorthAmerica #Europe #businessportfolio
- Chairman of Nexen Tire
  Kang Byung-Joong
  
  Kang Byung-joong is Chairman of Nexen Group. He also serves as co-CEO of Nexen, the holding company, and co-CEO of Nexen Tire, the group’s key affiliate. He presented a goal of achieving annual revenue of KRW 5 trillion (US$3.6 billion) by 2030. He was born in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on July 25, 1939. He graduated from Masan High School and from the Department of Law at Dong-A University. He completed an MBA course at the Pusan National University Graduate School of Business. He began by importing used cargo trucks and grew the business into a transportation company. He acquired Heung-A Tire’s retread factory and founded Heung-A Tire Industry in 1977. He established financial companies including Dongnam Bank and Kyongnam Life Insurance, but suffered massive losses during the IMF foreign exchange crisis. He acquired Woosung Tire, which had been under court receivership, changed its name to Nexen Tire, and became Chairman and CEO in 1999. He changed the name of Heung-A Tire Industry to Nexen and shifted the governance structure to a holding company system with Nexen at the top. He is a living witness to the industry who built Nexen Tire into one of South Korea’s three major tire companies. He is called the “tire king.” He also serves as Chairman of KNN. #Nexen #NexenTire #KangByungjoong #SouthKorea #tireindustry #businessleader #holdingcompany #KNN #Koreanbusiness #corporateprofile
- President of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
  Park Chong-rae
  
  Park Chong-rae is the president of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). He aims to foster it into “Ulsan’s Stanford,” leading the sustainable development of the nation and the region. He was born on February 25, 1959. He graduated from the Department of Textile Engineering at Seoul National University and received a master’s degree in textile chemistry from Seoul National University Graduate School. He earned a doctorate in textile physics from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He worked at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and as a visiting researcher at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He was appointed professor in the Department of Textile Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. He later moved to Seoul National University and was appointed professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He served as head of Seoul National University’s Intellectual Property Management Office, head of the business division of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, and CEO of Seoul National University Holdings. He was appointed president of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in 2024. He served as chair of the World Carbon Conference and president of the Korean Carbon Society. He also served as vice president of the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Associations, chair of the S&T Infrastructure Subcommittee under a presidential advisory committee, and chair of the expert committee on regulatory sandbox special cases in research and development special zones. He is working to realize the vision of entering the world’s top 10 specialized science and technology universities by 2030. A note on the original text: “KAIST(한국과학기술연구원)” appears inconsistent. KAIST is usually the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, while “한국과학기술연구원” refers to KIST. Please check the original Korean source. #ParkChong-rae #UNIST #Ulsan #SouthKorea #scienceandtechnology #highereducation #universitypresident #innovation #researchleadership #sustainabledevelopment

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