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

- CEO of RFHIC
  Cho Deok-soo
  
  Cho Deok-soo is the CEO of RFHIC. He is expanding the company’s communications and defense businesses by leveraging its technological edge in gallium nitride (GaN), while also pursuing diversification into new business areas. He was born on September 11, 1966. He graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in economics. In 1999, he co-founded the compound semiconductor company RFHIC with his older brother, Chairman Cho Sam-yeol, and became its CEO. Chairman Cho Sam-yeol oversees product research, while Cho Deok-soo is responsible for finance and management, jointly leading the company. During his college years, he worked at a Korean restaurant in New York to pay for tuition and living expenses, and he was known as a “legendary waiter” for his commitment to sincerity and high quality in his work. #RFHIC #ChoDeoksoo #GaN #semiconductor #KoreanCEO #compoundsemiconductor #defenseindustry #telecomtechnology #entrepreneurship #businessleadership
- Minister of Health and Welfare
  Jeong Eun-kyeong
  
  Jeong Eun-kyeong is the Minister of Health and Welfare. She is dedicating her efforts to medical reform and welfare expansion under the Lee Jae-myung administration. She was born on July 9, 1965, in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do. She graduated from Jeonnam Girls' High School and Seoul National University College of Medicine. She received a Master of Public Health from the Graduate School of Public Health at Seoul National University and earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Graduate School of Seoul National University. She has held key positions related to infectious disease surveillance and response at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, personally responding to the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak and the 2015 MERS crisis. When the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was elevated to an independent government body in 2020, she became its first commissioner and took practical command of the COVID-19 response. She was later appointed Minister of Health and Welfare in the Lee Jae-myung administration and is leading efforts to strengthen regional, essential, and public healthcare, one of the government’s core policy priorities. #JeongEunkyung #HealthWelfare #KoreaHealthcare #PublicHealth #InfectiousDisease #COVID19 #KDCA #MedicalReform #WelfarePolicy #LeeJaemyung
- CEO of Hana Asset Management
  Kim Tae-woo
  
  Kim Tae-woo is the CEO of Hana Asset Management. He is focusing on strengthening the competitiveness of retirement pension products with exchange-traded funds (ETF) and target date funds (TDF) as the two main pillars. He was born in Busan on May 19, 1967. He graduated from Kyungseong High School in Seoul and from the Department of Business Administration at Yonsei University. He received a master’s degree in international finance from the Stern School of New York University in the United States. He began his career at Hana Bank and later served as Head of Equity Management at Mirae Asset Global Investments and as a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments. Beginning in 2016, he served as CEO of Daol Asset Management (formerly KTB Asset Management), and in 2023, he was recruited as the first CEO of Hana Asset Management after it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hana Securities. He is a former star fund manager who ran the Discovery Fund, and he is an asset management expert with about 30 years of experience in the industry. #KimTaeWoo #HanaAssetManagement #ETF #TDF #retirementpension #assetmanagement #KoreaFinance #fundmanager #DiscoveryFund #investmentexpert
- CEO of Duksan Tecopia
  Lee Su-wan
  
  Lee Su-wan is the CEO of Duksan Tecopia. He was born in June 1978 as the second son of Lee Joon-ho, founder of the Duksan Group. His older brother is Lee Su-hoon, Chairman of Duksan Holdings. He graduated from the Department of Economics at UCLA and completed the MBA program at the National University of Singapore Business School. He joined Samsung Electronics and gained experience in planning, then moved to Duksan High Metal, a company founded by his father, as a manager. He later worked as a senior researcher at the Korea-based financial investment advisory firm KUDOS before joining Duksan Tecopia as head of a business division. He became CEO in 2017. He also serves as CEO of its subsidiary Duksan Electera. He has a strong commitment to shifting the company toward future-oriented businesses and strengthening management control. However, as a second-generation owner–manager, he faces pressure because the new businesses he is leading have yet to produce standout results. #DuksanTecopia #LeeSuwan #semiconductor #materials #KoreanCEOs #businessleadership #corporategovernance #UCLA #SingaporeMBA #DuksanGroup
- CEO of SK Gas
  Yoon Byung-suk
  
  Yoon Byung-suk is the CEO of SK Gas. He has focused on diversifying the company’s business portfolio, which has long centered on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and on creating new growth engines. He was born on February 28, 1966 in the lunar calendar. He graduated from Paichai High School and the Department of Chemical Engineering at Seoul National University. He received a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the graduate school of Seoul National University and completed the MBA program at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He worked at the Seoul office of Boston Consulting Group. In 2014, he moved to SK Gas, where he served as Head of Corporate Management Support, Head of the Gas Business and Power Generation Business divisions, and Head of the Solution & Trading division. He was appointed CEO in 2018 and is serving his third consecutive term as of 2025. He is a hands-on CEO with experience across the energy sector, including gas, global, and power generation businesses. #SKGas #YoonByungSuk #energyindustry #LPG #businessdiversification #SouthKorea #chemicalengineering #CEOprofile #MBAbusiness #globalenergy
- CEO and President of Korea Investment & Securities
  Kim Sung-hwan
  
  Kim Sung-hwan is the CEO of Korea Investment & Securities. He is expanding the organization and its businesses with the goal of growing into a global financial investment company. He was born on November 21, 1969, in Seoul. He graduated from Dangok High School in Seoul and from Korea University with a degree in economics. He began his career at Kyobo Life Insurance. After working at LG Investment & Securities, he moved to Dongwon Securities, and remained with Korea Investment & Securities even after Dongwon Securities was acquired by Korea Investment & Securities. He served as Head of the Project Finance Division, Head of Bond Trading, Head of the IB Group, Executive Vice President in charge of Corporate Planning, and Head of the Retail Customer Group before being appointed CEO in 2024. He is an investment banking (IB) expert who introduced, for the first time in the securities industry, asset-backed securities (ABS) and asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) based on real estate project financing (PF). He led Korea Investment & Securities to become the first domestic operator of the comprehensive investment account (IMA) business. #KoreaInvestmentSecurities #KimSungHwan #CEO #investmentbanking #projectfinance #ABS #ABCP #IMA #financialindustry #SouthKorea
  NEWS
  - • Korea Investment & Securities' Overwhelming Q1—Kim Sung-hwan's Strategy Cements Lead
  - • Korea Investment & Securities' Asset Management Soars, Kim Sung-hwan Shows Confidence in Global Expansion
- CEO of TXR Robotics
  Um In-sup
  
  Um In-sup is the CEO of TXR Robotics. He is accelerating the company’s transition into an intelligent robot total solution provider. He was born in June 1975. He entered Korea University as a mathematics major and completed a double major in industrial systems and information engineering. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees in industrial systems and information engineering from the Korea University Graduate School. He worked as a senior researcher at the Hanjin Logistics Research Institute before moving to Samsung SDS, where he served as head of factory solutions in the Solutions Business Division and as head of the factory automation team. He was recruited as CEO of TXR Robotics in 2024. He is focusing on strengthening profitability, including reducing outsourcing processing costs. He is a technology-driven executive with long experience in the robotics and logistics automation fields. He values a balance between technology and business and has strong drive and execution skills. #UmInSup #TXRRobotics #robotics #automation #logisticsautomation #KoreaUniversity #factoryautomation #technologyCEO #industrialengineering #businessstrategy
- CEO-designate of Hyundai Everdigm
  Yoo Jae-ki
  
  Yoo Jae-ki is an Executive Vice President at Hyundai Everdigm and the CEO-designate. He aims to lead the company toward becoming a global specialty vehicle and heavy equipment enterprise within the Hyundai Department Store Group. He was born in November 1967. He graduated from Dankook University with a degree in accounting. He joined Hyundai Green Food and later moved to Hyundai Everdigm, where he served as Head of the Management Support Division as Senior Managing Director, and then as Head of Sales and concurrently Head of the Management Support Division, also as Senior Managing Director. In October 2025, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and named the next CEO of Hyundai Everdigm. He was recognized for his work capabilities at Hyundai Green Food and became Head of the Finance Team. After transferring to Hyundai Everdigm, he led both overall management and overseas market expansion, driving the company’s growth. In August 2025, he drew major attention within the group by signing a contract with the Iraqi government worth KRW 135.3 billion (US$ 97.3 million). #HyundaiEverdigm #YooJaeki #HyundaiDepartmentStoreGroup #heavyEquipment #specialtyVehicles #globalExpansion #IraqProject #corporateLeadership #KoreanBusiness #executiveProfile
- CEO of T-Robotics
  Ahn Seung-wook
  
  Ahn Seung-wook is the CEO of T-Robotics. He is focusing on developing robots that combine future core technologies such as AI, vision recognition, and human interfaces. He was born on August 19, 1961, in Daegu. He graduated from Simin High School in Daegu and the Department of Electronic Engineering at Kyungpook National University. He began his career as a researcher at the Korea Electronics Semiconductor Equipment Development Center, and accumulated nearly 20 years of R&D experience at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and the Mechatronics Center of Samsung Heavy Industries’ Daedeok Central Research Institute. In 2004, he founded TIES, now known as T-Robotics, the first Korean company specializing in vacuum robots for the semiconductor and display industries. He independently secured technology for transfer robots used in semiconductors, LCDs, and OLEDs. As a former researcher, he is known for his exceptional passion for technology. #AhnSeungwook #TRobotics #semiconductor #display #vacuumrobot #AIrobotics #mechatronics #Samsung #Koreantech #roboticsengineering
- Head of Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
  Yeo Han-koo
  
  Yeo Han-koo is the Trade Minister (Head of Trade Negotiations) at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. He has been actively leading U.S.-Korea tariff negotiations and other key talks to deliver trade results for the Lee Jae-myung administration. He also oversees the implementation of major trade pledges such as the New Southern Policy and New Northern Policy, which the Lee Jae-myung government promised to pursue. He was born on November 14, 1969, in Seoul. He graduated from Kyungdong High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Seoul National University. He received a master’s degree in public administration from the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University. He completed the MPA program at Harvard Kennedy School and the MBA program at Harvard Business School. After passing the 36th Higher Civil Service Examination, he mainly handled trade-related work at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (now the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy). He was appointed the third Head of Trade Negotiations under the Moon Jae-in administration. After the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, he left public office and served as a visiting professor at Seoul National University Business School, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in the United States, and a senior researcher at the Government Performance Lab at Harvard Kennedy School. After the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, he returned to public office as the Vice Minister-level Head of Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and also became the head of the U.S. Negotiations Task Force (TF). #YeoHankoo #KoreaTradePolicy #MOTIE #LeeJaemyung #USKoreaTariff #TradeNegotiations #NewSouthernPolicy #NewNorthernPolicy #HarvardKennedySchool #PetersonInstitute

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