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

- CEO of EcoPro Materials
  Lee Kyu-bong
  
  Lee Kyu-bong is the CEO of EcoPro Materials. He is focusing on vertically integrating the supply chain for secondary battery precursors and strengthening profitability. He is also moving quickly to diversify global customers. He was born on April 7, 1970. He graduated from Hanyang University’s Department of Inorganic Materials Engineering and worked at Samsung SDI’s research institute, including as a general manager in strategic planning. After leaving Samsung SDI, where he had worked for 23 years, he joined EcoPro Group. He worked as head of research planning (executive director) at EcoPro BM and head of business operations (executive vice president) at EcoPro EM. After serving as vice president and chief operating officer (COO) at EcoPro Materials, he was appointed CEO of EcoPro Materials in March 2026. He is an expert in secondary battery materials. #LeeKyubong #EcoProMaterials #EcoPro #secondarybattery #batterymaterials #precursor #supplychain #verticalintegration #SamsungSDI #EVbattery
- Chairman of Asung Daiso
  Park Jung-boo
  
  Park Jung-boo is chairman of Asung Daiso. After early retirement at age 45, he founded the company in 1988 and aggressively expanded Daiso stores through “1,000-won management” and a “fixed-price policy,” growing it into a retail giant with annual sales in the KRW 4 trillion (US$ 2.9 billion) range. He was born on December 2, 1944, in Seoul. He graduated from Seoul Yeongdeungpo High School and Hanyang University’s Department of Industrial Management. He joined Poongwoo Industrial, a company that produced light bulbs in Guro Industrial Complex, now Guro Digital Complex, and served as factory manager. He founded Hanil Manpower, a trading company, and exported household goods to Japan. In 1992, he established Asung Industrial, now Asung Daiso, and in 1997 opened “Asco Even Plaza,” a Korean version of a 100-yen shop. When controversy arose over its national identity, he bought all shares held by the Japanese company. He is strengthening the company’s identity as a “Korean-style retail company” and is focusing on expanding its offline influence into online channels. #ParkJungboo #AsungDaiso #Daiso #KoreanRetail #FixedPricePolicy #1000WonManagement #RetailBusiness #HouseholdGoods #AscoEvenPlaza #OnlineExpansion
  NEWS
  - • Park Jung-bu Builds KRW 3 Trillion Revenue with Daiso’s 1,000-Won Strategy—How Far Will It Go?
- CEO of TMC
  Ji Young-wan
  
  Ji Young-wan is the CEO of TMC. He is accelerating the expansion into high value-added business areas, including optical communication cables for AI data centers. He was born on October 9, 1964. He graduated from Seoul Airport Middle School and Seoul Hwagok High School, and earned a degree in electrical engineering from Inha University. He joined Jinro Industry and worked as a deputy general manager in the sales team. After joining TMC, he served as head of the domestic sales team and as a sales director. He was appointed CEO of the ship cable business division. In 2025, he became CEO of TMC. He places great importance on talent. He has a management philosophy that “people are the company’s competitiveness.” #TMC #JiYoungwan #AIdatacenter #OpticalCommunicationCable #ShipCable #KoreanBusiness #CEO #ElectricalEngineering #HighValueBusiness #Telecommunications
- CEO and President of EcoPro BM
  Choi Moon-ho
  
  Choi Moon-ho is the CEO and president of EcoPro BM. He is focusing on increasing production capacity and expanding market share with the goal of making the company the world’s No. 1 secondary battery materials company. He was born on April 15, 1974. He graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Chemical Engineering. He earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a doctorate in energy engineering from Hanyang University Graduate School. He worked at Zeobuilder and Asin Technology before joining EcoPro, where he was in charge of the battery business. He moved to EcoPro BM and served as head of the development division. After serving as chief technology officer (CTO), he was appointed co-CEO and president in 2022. As an engineer by background, he is pushing to cut costs while securing differentiated technological capabilities. #ChoiMoonho #EcoProBM #EcoPro #secondarybattery #batteryMaterials #cathodeMaterials #batteryIndustry #CEO #technologyLeadership #costReduction
- CEO and President of Daejoo Electronic Materials
  Lim Il-ji
  
  Lim Il-ji is the CEO and president of Daejoo Electronic Materials. She leads the company as co-CEO with her younger brother, Vice President Lim Jung-kyu. She was born on October 27, 1970, as the second daughter among one son and three daughters of Lim Moo-hyun, founder and chairman of Daejoo Electronic Materials. She graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in biochemistry. She joined Daejoo Fine Chemical, now Daejoo Electronic Materials, and oversaw technology sales. After serving as executive vice president in charge of sales, she was appointed co-CEO in 2008. She is focusing on business diversification centered on silicon anode materials and the expansion of the global supply chain. #LimIlji #DaejooElectronicMaterials #CEO #siliconanode #batteryMaterials #globalSupplyChain #businessDiversification #YonseiUniversity #technologySales #secondaryBattery
- CEO and President of Firstec
  Son Kyeong-seok
  
  Son Kyeong-seok is the CEO and president of Firstec. He is focusing on improving performance by expanding global orders based on accumulated defense technology. He was born on May 5, 1960. He graduated from Kwandong University with a degree in business administration. He joined Jeil Precision Industrial, now Firstec, and worked as executive director in charge of sales and managing director of the factory. After serving as vice president, he was appointed CEO and president in 2018. He led the company’s transformation into a “global defense solutions company.” He aims to help the company leap forward from covering the “muscles” of traditional defense, or actuators, to covering the “brain” of future defense, including AI and unmanned systems. #SonKyeongseok #Firstec #defenseindustry #defensetechnology #globalorders #AIdefense #unmannedsystems #actuators #defensesolutions #Koreandefense
- CEO and President of Samsung Electro-Mechanics
  Chang Duck-hyun
  
  Chang Duck-hyun is the CEO and president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics. He is focusing his capabilities on expanding the AI substrate business and electric vehicle parts business. He was born on February 13, 1964. He graduated from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Seoul National University. He received a master’s degree in electronic engineering from the graduate school of Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in electronic engineering from the University of Florida in the United States. He joined Samsung Electronics and worked as head of the Solution Development Office in the Memory Business Division. He served as head of the LSI Development Office, head of SoC Development, and head of the Component Platform Business Team in the System LSI Business Division, before working as head of the Sensor Business Team. In 2022, he was appointed CEO and president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics. He is regarded as having the technological DNA of both memory semiconductors and system semiconductors. He values communication. When he has time, he enjoys surfing. #ChangDuckhyun #SamsungElectroMechanics #Samsung #AIsubstrate #electricvehicleparts #semiconductors #memorysemiconductor #systemsemiconductor #electronicengineering #corporateleadership
  NEWS
  - • Chang Duck-hyun Faces Risk as TSMC’s SoW-X Technology Shakes Samsung Electro-Mechanics
  - • Samsung Electro-Mechanics Faces Gloomy Outlook, Chang Duck-hyun's MLCC Pressured
- President of the University of Ulsan
  Oh Yeon-cheon
  
  Oh Yeon-cheon is the President of the University of Ulsan. He was born in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, in 1951. He graduated from Gyeonggi High School in Seoul and the Department of Political Science at Seoul National University. He earned both his master’s degree and doctorate in public finance administration from New York University in the United States. He began his public service career after passing the 17th Higher Civil Service Examination before leaving for study in the United States. After joining Seoul National University as a professor, he served as dean of the Graduate School of Public Administration and was elected president of Seoul National University in 2010. He also served as chairman of the board when Seoul National University was converted into a corporate entity. After serving as a chaired professor at Stanford University in the United States, he was appointed President of the University of Ulsan in 2015. He is a university administration expert who has served as a university president for 16 years. He is the first president in the history of the University of Ulsan to achieve three consecutive terms. He also served as chairman of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, chairman of the Industrial Development Deliberation Committee, and chairman of the Supreme Court Judicial Policy Advisory Committee. #OhYeoncheon #UniversityOfUlsan #SeoulNationalUniversity #StanfordUniversity #HigherCivilServiceExamination #UniversityPresident #KoreanEducation #PublicAdministration #NYU #UniversityAdministration
- Chairman of Heesung Group
  Koo Bon-neung
  
  Koo Bon-neung is the chairman of Heesung Group. Among members of the LG family, he was the first to become independent and led Heesung Group. As sales at its main business, Heesung Electronics, have plunged, he is showing moves to reorganize the overall business through another pillar, Heesung Catalysts. He was born on March 26, 1949, in Busan as the second son among the four sons and two daughters of Koo Cha-kyung, former honorary chairman of LG Group. He graduated from Kyungnam Middle School and Kyungnam High School, and earned a degree in business administration from Korea University. He joined Lucky-Goldstar International, now LX International, and worked as head of the U.S. Chicago office and head of the overseas management division. After moving to GoldStar Telecommunications, now LG Electronics, as head of the export division, he was promoted to director at GoldStar Telecommunications and GoldStar Alps, now LG Innotek. He served as auditor at Heesung Metal Industry, now LT Metal, and vice president of Sangnong Enterprise, now Heesung Electronics, before working as a director at Heesung Metal and Korea Engelhard, now Heesung Catalysts. He became vice chairman of Heesung Metal, which had been separated from an LG Group affiliate, and in 1996 launched Heesung Group and became its chairman. Legal risks emerged, including a criminal complaint related to the LG Group inheritance dispute, but he was cleared of major charges, significantly easing his legal burden. From 2011 to 2017, he served as commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). He is the biological father of Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group. #KooBon-neung #HeesungGroup #LGGroup #KooKwang-mo #HeesungElectronics #HeesungCatalysts #LTMetal #LXInternational #KBO #KoreanBusiness
- Group CEO of Yanolja
  Lee Su-jin
  
  Lee Su-jin is the Group CEO of Yanolja. He aims to transform Yanolja into a global travel tech company. He was born in February 1978 in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. He graduated from Anseong Doowon Technical High School and the Department of Mold Engineering at Cheonan Technical College. He began his career cleaning motel rooms and entered the lodging business by acquiring the internet cafe “Motel Tour,” which had 200,000 members, for KRW 5 million (US$3,600). After founding Yanolja in 2007, he expanded the company’s business by acquiring e-commerce company Interpark. He is a self-made young entrepreneur who lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandparents. #Yanolja #LeeSujin #traveltech #Interpark #SouthKorea #startup #entrepreneur #hospitality #ecommerce #selfmade

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