Life Summary
Kim Sang-yeol is the founder of Hoban Group.

He serves as the chairman of the Hoban Scholarship Foundation and Seoul Shinmun.

Born in 1961 in Boseong, Jeollanam-do, he graduated from high school after six years due to difficult family circumstances.

After graduating from Chosun University with a degree in architectural engineering, he worked at a small construction company before founding Hoban at the age of 28 in 1989. As of 2024, Hoban has grown into a large conglomerate, ranked 34th in the business community.

After establishing Hoban by purchasing public housing sites and building houses, he ventured into the financial sector by founding Hyundai Finance.

During the IMF financial crisis, he laid the foundation for growth by purchasing land sold by other construction companies for liquidity and conducting housing sales.

Through conservative management principles, such as 'debt-free management,' he stably grew the business, elevating Hoban Construction to the 10th position in construction capability evaluation rankings.

He made Hoban Construction known by participating in major acquisition bids, including Kumho Industrial, which owns Asiana Airlines, and Daewoo Engineering & Construction.

By acquiring leisure businesses such as Deokpyeong Country Club in Icheon and West Seoul Country Club in Paju, he expanded into the leisure sector, and also purchased agricultural product distributor Daea Cheonghwa and Samsung Gold Exchange.

After stepping down from Hoban Construction management, he focused on growing the media business, helping Hoban Group shed its image as a regional construction company and rise to a national level.

He acquired Seoul Shinmun, Electronic Times, and economic cable channel EBN to build a national media business. However, Electronic Times was sold to IT company Douzone Bizon in September 2023.

He entered the renewable energy business by acquiring shares and management rights of Taihan Electric Wire, and laid the groundwork for exploring overseas construction markets.

As a self-made entrepreneur, he has demonstrated a strong competitive spirit.

As of 2024, Hoban Construction is focusing on expanding its portfolio through mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, and startup investments, while seeking overseas expansion.

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