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

- Vice Chairman and CEO of KC Tech
  Yang Ho-keun
  
  Yang Ho-keun is vice chairman and CEO of KC Tech. He leads the company under a co-CEO system with President and CEO Choi Dong-gyu, overseeing the semiconductor equipment division and overall management. He was born on April 26, 1963. He graduated from the Department of Economics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. After working at Samsung Electronics for 24 years, he joined TCK as vice president. He later served as vice president of the display business division at KC Innovation, formerly KPC, before being appointed CEO in 2014. He served as co-CEO of KC alongside Chairman Koh Suk-tae, the company’s owner, and was appointed CEO of KC Tech in 2021. He is working to strengthen the company’s competitiveness in semiconductor equipment by focusing on its CMP equipment and slurry businesses. #YangHokeun #KCTech #semiconductor #semiconductorequipment #CMPequipment #CMPslurry #SamsungElectronics #KCInnovation #TCK #businessleadership
- President of Gyeongguk National University
  Jeong Tae-ju
  
  Jeong Tae-ju is the president of Gyeongguk National University. He is working to establish Gyeongguk National University, which was launched in 2025 through the merger of Andong National University and Gyeongbuk Provincial College. He was born in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province, in 1965. He graduated from Yongmoon High School in Seoul and the Department of Inorganic Materials Engineering at Seoul National University. He earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in inorganic materials engineering from the graduate school of Seoul National University. He joined Andong National University as a professor in the School of Electrical and Advanced Materials Engineering and served as director of the Startup Support Center, head of the Industry-Academia Cooperative Education Project Group, vice president for planning, and head of the Regional Innovation Project Group. He was elected president of Andong National University in 2023. He played a leading role in Andong National University’s selection for the Glocal University 30 project and its merger with Gyeongbuk Provincial College. He is devoting significant effort to establishing a medical school, the region’s most pressing issue. #JeongTaeju #GyeonggukNationalUniversity #AndongNationalUniversity #GyeongbukProvincialCollege #GlocalUniversity30 #UniversityMerger #RegionalInnovation #MedicalSchool #HigherEducation #UniversityPresident
- Chairman and CEO of YG-1
  Song Ho-keun
  
  Song Ho-keun is the chairman and CEO of YG-1. He leads the company under a co-CEO system with his eldest son, President Song Si-han. He was born in Seoul on January 15, 1952. He graduated from Seoul High School and Seoul National University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He began his career at Taehwa Machinery. In 1981, he founded cutting tool manufacturer Yangjiwon Tool, now YG-1. He built YG-1 into the world’s largest end mill manufacturer by revenue. The company drew industry attention after receiving an investment from renowned global investor Warren Buffett. He serves as vice chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, vice chairman of the Incheon Employers Federation, and chairman of the Incheon Foreign Trade Association. #SongHoKeun #YG1 #cuttingtools #endmills #manufacturing #WarrenBuffett #mechanicalengineering #Koreanentrepreneur #globalmarket #businessleadership
- President and CEO of KB Securities
  Kang Jin-doo
  
  Kang Jin-doo is the President and CEO of KB Securities. He leads the investment banking (IB) division under a co-CEO structure with President Lee Hong-koo. In his first year in office, he received a large capital injection from KB Financial Group, laying the groundwork for the company’s entry into the comprehensive investment account (IMA) business. He was born in 1968. He graduated from Kyungseong High School in Seoul and Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in industrial psychology. He completed an MBA program at Long Island University in New York and earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California (USC). He joined Hyundai Securities and worked in the International Finance Department, Corporate Finance Department 2 and Structured Finance Office 2. Following the merger of KB Investment & Securities and Hyundai Securities, he held positions in KB Securities’ Corporate Finance Department 1, Corporate Finance Division 2 and IB Division 2. In 2026, he became President and co-CEO of KB Securities. #KangJindoo #KBSecurities #investmentbanking #IB #KBFinancialGroup #comprehensiveinvestmentaccount #IMA #HyundaiSecurities #corporatefinance #financialexecutive
- CEO of Pemtron
  Yoo Young-woong
  
  Yoo Young-woong is the CEO of Pemtron. He is accelerating the company’s growth amid the explosive expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor market. He was born in May 1971. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University and earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). He worked as a researcher at Hyundai Motor and later at companies including Medison. In 2002, he founded Pemtron, which manufactures inspection equipment for surface-mount technology (SMT) and semiconductor processes. He has a keen eye for market trends and strong crisis management skills. #YooYoungwoong #Pemtron #AIsemiconductors #semiconductorequipment #inspectionequipment #SMT #KAIST #HyundaiMotor #Medison #crisismanagement
- 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
- Daesung Group Chairman
  Kim Young-hoon
  
  Kim Young-hoon is the chairman of Daesung Group. He also serves as CEO of Daesung Holdings, Daesung Energy, and Daesung Private Equity. He is working to transform Daesung Group into a high-efficiency energy company centered on biotechnology and renewable energy. He is also focusing on a new platform business aimed at creating innovative technologies by connecting advanced future technologies, including AI, systems biology, and quantum computing, with the fields of life sciences and medicine. He was born on February 29, 1952, in Daegu as the fifth of three sons and three daughters of Kim Soo-keun, the founder of Daesung Group. He graduated from Kyunggi Middle School, Kyunggi High School, and Seoul National University with a degree in public administration. He earned master’s degrees in law and business administration from the University of Michigan and in theology from Harvard University. He worked as an assistant manager at Citibank Korea. He joined his father’s Daesung Industrial as an executive director and head of the group’s Planning and Coordination Office and became chairman of Daesung Group in 2000. He became the first Korean to serve as chair of the World Energy Council (WEC). He is often described as “scholarly” because of his gentle personality and persuasive way of speaking. Note: The original text contains the duplicated name expression “김영훈Kim Young-hoon,” which appears to be a typographical error. #KimYounghoon #DaesungGroup #DaesungHoldings #DaesungEnergy #DaesungPrivateEquity #renewableenergy #biotechnology #quantumcomputing #WorldEnergyCouncil #energyinnovation
- 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

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