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

- Co-CEO and Vice Chairman of Mirae Asset Securities
  Kim Mi-seob
  
  Kim Mi-seob is co-CEO and vice chairman of Mirae Asset Securities. He leads the company under a co-CEO structure with Heo Seon-ho, co-CEO and vice chairman of Mirae Asset Securities, and oversees global business and investment banking (IB). He was born in 1968. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in economics. He joined Mirae Asset Financial Group and served in various positions, including chief financial officer (CFO) of Mirae Asset Hong Kong Asset Management and head of Mirae Asset Global Investments' Singapore and Brazil subsidiaries. He was appointed CEO of Mirae Asset Global Investments in 2014. He led the expansion of its global exchange-traded fund (ETF) business and the acquisition of overseas asset management companies. He moved to Mirae Asset Securities and served as president of the Innovation Promotion Division and then president in charge of global business. He has served as CEO of Mirae Asset Securities since October 2023. He succeeded former chairman Hyun Man Choi, who had worked alongside Mirae Asset Financial Group chairman PARK Hyeon-joo since the group's early days, to lead the second generation of professional management at Mirae Asset Securities. He is regarded as someone who has a deep understanding of chairman PARK Hyeon-joo's global expansion strategy. #KimMiSeob #MiraeAssetSecurities #CoCEO #ViceChairman #MiraeAssetFinancialGroup #MiraeAssetGlobalInvestments #GlobalBusiness #InvestmentBanking #GlobalETF #ParkHyeonJoo
- Chairman of Hankook & Company
  Cho Hyun-bum
  
  Cho Hyun-bum is chairman of Hankook & Company. He also serves as chairman of its subsidiary, Hankook Tire & Technology. He was born on January 7, 1972, in Haman County, South Gyeongsang Province, as the youngest son among the two sons and two daughters of Cho Yang-rai, honorary chairman of Hankook & Company Group. He is the son-in-law of former President Lee Myung-bak. He graduated from Dwight-Englewood School in the United States and Boston College with a degree in finance. He joined Hankook Tire and served as head of the Marketing Division and the Business Operations Division. After serving as head of the Corporate Planning Division at Hankook Tire Worldwide, he became CEO of Hankook Tire in 2017. He was sentenced to prison on embezzlement and breach of trust charges in 2025 and served time in prison until his sentence was completed in September 2026. He repeatedly stepped down as CEO and returned to the position while undergoing investigations and trials over allegations of personal misconduct. In February 2026, while serving his prison sentence, he stepped down as CEO of Hankook & Company. #ChoHyunbum #HankookAndCompany #HankookTireAndTechnology #HankookAndCompanyGroup #CorporateChairman #ExecutiveProfile #BusinessLeadership #CorporateGovernance #EmbezzlementCase #ManagementComeback
  NEWS
  - • Why Cho Hyun-bum Turned to Lee Soo-il — Again, for Hanon Systems
- President and CEO, Hyundai Department Store
  Jung Ji-young
  
  Jung Ji-young is president and CEO of Hyundai Department Store. He serves as co-CEO alongside Chung Ji-sun, chairman of Hyundai Department Store Group. He faces the challenge of securing new growth drivers through the opening of new stores in South Korea and the expansion of overseas operations. He was born in May 1963. He graduated from Korea High School in Gwangju and Korea University with a degree in business administration. He joined Hyundai Department Store and served as head of its Ulsan branch. He also served as head of the Sales Strategy Office and head of the Sales Division. He was promoted to president in November 2023 and appointed CEO of Hyundai Department Store in February 2024. #JungJiYoung #HyundaiDepartmentStore #ChungJiSun #PresidentAndCEO #KoreaUniversity #KoreaHighSchool #SalesStrategy #RetailManagement #OverseasExpansion #ExecutiveProfile
- President and CEO of HD Construction Equipment
  Moon Jae-young
  
  Moon Jae-young is president and CEO of HD Construction Equipment. He was born on August 4, 1969. He graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in business administration. He joined Hyundai Heavy Industries, where he was responsible for general sales at its European subsidiary, planning, and construction equipment sales. In 2017, when Hyundai Heavy Industries spun off its construction equipment business to establish Hyundai Construction Equipment, he became head of sales strategy at Hyundai Construction Equipment. He later served as executive vice president and head of the Sales Division before becoming executive vice president and head of the Construction Equipment Business Division at HD Hyundai Infracore. In 2026, he was appointed the first president and CEO of HD Construction Equipment, the integrated company established through the merger of HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore. He also serves as chairman of the Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association. #MoonJaeyoung #HDConstructionEquipment #PresidentAndCEO #HDHyundai #ConstructionEquipment #ExecutiveProfile #GlobalSales #BusinessLeadership #CorporateMerger #KOCEMA
- President of Inha University
  Choi Kee-young
  
  Choi Kee-young is president of Inha University. He was born on June 5, 1964. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in aeronautical engineering and earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the same university. He earned a doctoral degree in aeronautical engineering from Stanford University in the United States. After working as a senior researcher at Advanced Rotorcraft Technology in the United States, he returned to Korea and joined Hanyang University as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He moved to the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Inha University, where he served as senior vice chairman of the Faculty Council, head of the Internationalization Project Group, head of the IUT Project Group and head of the Future Education Innovation Group. He held administrative positions including dean of international affairs, dean of academic affairs and vice president for academic affairs. After serving as dean of the Graduate School of Aerospace and Defense, he took office as president of Inha University in September 2026. He serves as chairman of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board under the Prime Minister's Office. He is a distinguished scholar in aerospace engineering. #ChoiKeeYoung #InhaUniversity #UniversityPresident #AerospaceEngineering #StanfordUniversity #SeoulNationalUniversity #HanyangUniversity #HigherEducation #AviationSafety #AcademicLeadership
- Co-CEO and Executive Vice President of Taekwang Industrial
  Jung In-chul
  
  Jung In-chul is co-CEO and executive vice president of Taekwang Industrial. He oversees new business development and strategy formulation. He leads the company alongside co-CEO Lee Bu-eui. He was born in Seoul on July 14, 1963. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in business administration. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Seoul National University's graduate school and completed doctoral coursework in business administration. He worked at United Consulting Group and the Boston headquarters of Monitor Company in the United States before serving as executive vice president of its Korean office and executive vice president of A.T. Kearney Korea. He served as senior vice president in charge of planning and overseas business at Daelim Corporation, and as head of the Planning and Coordination Division and head of the Management Improvement Task Force Team (TFT), with the rank of executive vice president, at STX. After joining CrystalGenomics (now CG Invites) as chief financial officer (CFO), he became CEO of Supex B&T (now Panakeia). He was subsequently appointed co-CEO of CrystalGenomics and concurrently served as co-CEO of PanGen. He was recruited as executive vice president overseeing future business at Taekwang Industrial. He was appointed co-CEO in April 2026. #JungInChul #TaekwangIndustrial #CoCEO #ExecutiveVicePresident #CorporateLeadership #StrategicConsulting #BusinessDevelopment #MergersAndAcquisitions #CGInvites #ExecutiveProfile
- CEO of Kakaobank
  Yun Ho-young
  
  Yun Ho-young is CEO of Kakaobank. He is focusing on advancing artificial intelligence (AI)-based financial services and expanding the bank's growth base through overseas businesses in Indonesia, Thailand and Mongolia, as well as nonbank businesses. He was born in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, on June 20, 1971. He graduated from Shinsung High School in Anyang and Hanyang University with a degree in business administration. He began his career at Daehan Fire & Marine Insurance. After working at Ergo Daum Direct and Daum, he served as executive vice president of the Mobile Bank Task Force at Kakao. He was appointed co-CEO of Korea Kakao in 2016. He became CEO when Kakaobank was established in 2017. As an expert in finance and information and communications technology (ICT), he played a leading role in the launch and growth of Kakaobank. #YunHoYoung #Kakaobank #CEO #DigitalBanking #FintechLeadership #BankingCareer #Kakao #FinancialTechnology #InternetBanking #GlobalExpansion
  NEWS
  - • Yun Ho-young Secures Fifth Term as KakaoBank CEO, Faces Pressure to Deliver
  - • KakaoBank's value-up focus: 'Aggressive growth,' Yun Ho-young diverges from traditional banks.
- Policy Committee Chair, Democratic Party of Korea
  Kwon Chil-seung
  
  Kwon Chil-seung is chair of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea. He oversees the party's economic and livelihood policies and plays a role in supporting the Lee Jae-myung administration's national policy agenda and major legislation. He was born in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on November 8, 1965. He attended Daegu Middle School and Kyungbuk High School before graduating from Korea University with a degree in economics. After graduating from university, he joined Samsung Group and participated in the labor movement, including serving as a labor union steering committee member at Korea Automobile Insurance Corporation. He began his political career in 1997 when he joined the election planning team for presidential candidate Kim Dae-jung of the National Congress for New Politics (now the Democratic Party of Korea) during the 15th presidential election. He subsequently worked at the central party offices of the National Congress for New Politics, the Millennium Democratic Party and the Uri Party. In 2004, he moved to an administrative officer position in the Office of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the presidential office and worked at the Blue House under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. During his time at the Blue House, he established a connection with former President Moon Jae-in, who was then senior secretary for civil affairs. After serving in positions including an aide to a National Assembly member, he began his career as an elected politician when he won a seat on the Gyeonggi Provincial Council in the 2010 local elections. He was re-elected to the provincial council in 2014 and entered the National Assembly for the first time after running in the Hwaseong C constituency in Gyeonggi-do in the 20th general election in 2016. He won re-election in the same constituency in the 21st general election in 2020, becoming a two-term National Assembly member. In February 2021, he was appointed the third minister of SMEs and Startups under the Moon Jae-in administration and served until May 2022. After stepping down as minister, he returned to the National Assembly and was appointed chief spokesperson in March 2023 under Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. He ran in the Hwaseong C constituency in Gyeonggi-do in the 22nd general election in 2024 and won a third term in the National Assembly. In March 2026, he was elected chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and pursued legislation related to local autonomy, including a special law supporting special-status cities. On August 18, 2026, he was appointed the first chair of the Policy Committee under Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok. #KwonChilSeung #DemocraticPartyOfKorea #PolicyCommittee #NationalAssembly #MinistryOfSMEsAndStartups #LeeJaeMyungAdministration #MoonJaeInAdministration #GyeonggiProvince #PoliticalCareer #SouthKoreanPolitics
- Vice Chairman and CEO of GS Caltex
  Hur Sae-hong
  
  Hur Sae-hong is vice chairman and CEO of GS Caltex. He also serves as chairman of the board of GS Caltex. He is a fourth-generation member of the GS Group founding family and one of the candidates to become the group's next chairman. He was born in Seoul on November 21, 1969, as the eldest of two sons and one daughter of Hur Dong-soo, honorary chairman of GS Caltex. He graduated from Whimoon High School in Seoul and Yonsei University with a degree in business administration. He completed an MBA program at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business in the United States. He began his career at Osaki Electric in Japan and worked at the Korean branch of Bankers Trust and IBM's headquarters in New York. He joined GS Caltex and served as head of the Petrochemical Business Division and head of the Petrochemical and Lubricants Business Division. He became CEO of GS Global in 2017 and emerged as a leading candidate to succeed to the management of GS Group when he took over as CEO of GS Caltex in 2019. He was promoted to vice chairman of GS Caltex in November 2025. He is a man of few words and enjoys golf. #HurSaeHong #GSCaltex #GSGroup #ViceChairman #CEO #BoardChairman #CorporateLeadership #ManagementSuccession #EnergyIndustry #ExecutiveProfile
- CEO of Toss Securities
  Kim Gyu-bin
  
  Kim Gyu-bin is CEO of Toss Securities. He also serves as chairman of the board of Toss Securities. He was born in Seoul on January 5, 1989. He graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School in the United States and Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in electrical and computer engineering. In 2012, he co-founded Nanojo, a mobile gifting service. He worked as a product manager at eBay Korea. He joined Viva Republica, which operates the mobile financial service Toss, and served as a product owner responsible for product strategy and planning. He moved to its affiliate Toss Securities, where he served as a product owner and head of product before being appointed CEO in 2024. #KimGyuBin #TossSecurities #CEO #VivaRepublica #CarnegieMellonUniversity #NorthfieldMountHermon #Nanojo #eBayKorea #ProductManagement #FintechLeadership

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