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

- Chairman and CEO of Hana Financial Group
  Ham Young-joo
  
  Ham Young-joo is the Chairman and CEO of Hana Financial Group. He places the highest priority on strengthening the foundation for the sustainable growth of Hana Financial Group. Based on a stable organization and group synergies, he aims to accelerate the strengthening of the non-banking business. He was born on November 10, 1956, in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province. After graduating from Gangyeong Commercial High School in South Chungcheong Province, he joined Seoul Bank. While working, he graduated from the Department of Accounting at Dankook University. After Seoul Bank was merged into Hana Bank, he served as Head of the Bundang Jungang Branch and Head of the Household Sales Promotion Department, followed by Head of the Southern Regional Headquarters, Head of the Chungnam and Chungbuk Regional Headquarters, Head of the Daejeon Business Headquarters, and Head of the Chungcheong Business Division. After serving as Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Hana Financial Group in 2022. He also serves as the owner of Daejeon Hana Citizen Football Club. Based on diligence, he has delivered outstanding sales performance. Known for a benevolent leadership style, he has a gentle personality and strong interpersonal skills. #HamYoung-joo #HanaFinancialGroup #KoreanFinance #BankingLeadership #NonBankingExpansion #CorporateBiography #FinancialHoldingCompany #SustainableGrowth #CEOProfile
  NEWS
  - • Hana Financial Enters Ham Young-joo’s Second Term, Pushes Value Growth Amid Non-Banking Weakness
  - • Hana Financial’s “Long-Serving DNA” – Ham Young-joo Eyes Reappointment with Humble Leadership
- Chairman of Lotte Group
  Shin Dong-bin
  
  Shin Dong-bin is the Chairman of Lotte Group. He also serves as CEO of Lotte Holdings, Lotte Chemical, Lotte Shopping, and Lotte Wellfood. He is working to overcome the group’s difficult internal and external business environment by pursuing both personnel reshuffles and efforts to discover new growth engines. He was born on February 14, 1955, in Tokyo, Japan, as the second son among the two sons and two daughters of Shin Kyuk-ho, the founder of Lotte Group. He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School and Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan. He later completed an MBA program at Columbia Business School in the United States. He worked at Nomura Securities in Japan before joining Lotte Corporation in Japan. He entered Lotte Group in Korea by joining Honam Petrochemical as a managing director. After serving as Vice Chairman of Lotte Group’s Planning and Coordination Office and head of the Policy Headquarters, he was appointed Chairman in 2011, and in 2015 he became CEO of Lotte Holdings in Japan. He served as Chairman of the Korea Ski Association. He is known for being humble and placing importance on manners and etiquette. He is also accelerating preparations for succession by bringing his son, Shin Yoo-yeol, to the forefront of management. #ShinDongbin #LotteGroup #KoreanConglomerate #CorporateLeadership #SuccessionPlan #RetailAndChemicals #GlobalBusiness #FamilyBusiness #MBAExecutive #KoreaJapanBusiness
  NEWS
  - • Lotte’s Job-based Pay Push Faces Harsh Reality — Shin Dong-bin’s Optimism Meets Tough Road Ahead
  - • Lotte Overhauls Outside Directors — Shin Dong-bin Replaces Officials with Industry Experts
- CEO-designate of Lotte Wellfood
  Seo Jeong-ho
  
  Seo Jeong-ho is the CEO-designate of Lotte Wellfood. He has set the recovery of Lotte Wellfood’s profitability and expansion into global markets as his top priorities. He was born on April 4, 1969. He graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Ohio State University in the United States and completed an MBA program at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He began his career as an engineer at General Motors (GM) before moving to Samsung Corning Precision Materials, where he served as head of the planning group. At Doosan Group, he worked as Executive Director in charge of the technology and strategy division and as Chief Operating Officer of Doosan Solus (now Solus Advanced Materials). He later moved to Hankook & Company, where he served as Executive Vice President of the Strategy Planning Office, Vice President of the Future Strategy Office, and Vice President in charge of European business at affiliate Hanon Systems. He joined Lotte Wellfood as head of the Innovation Promotion Group and was designated as CEO in just four months. He is regarded as a strategy and innovation expert with experience across major domestic and global conglomerates. He was designated as CEO despite being a ‘non-Lotte insider.’ He is receiving positive evaluations for breaking Lotte Group’s tradition of internal favoritism and bringing new vitality to the organization. #SeoJeongho #LotteWellfood #CEOdesignate #CorporateLeadership #StrategyExpert #InnovationLeadership #GlobalExpansion #LotteGroup #ExecutiveProfile #KoreanBusinessLeaders
- Chairman of Mirae Asset Group
  Park Hyeon-joo
  
  Park Hyeon-joo is the Chairman of Mirae Asset Group. He is focusing on expanding global business by paying close attention to the Indian market and overseas exchange-traded funds (ETFs). He was born on October 17, 1958, in Gwangju. He graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School and the Department of Business Administration at Korea University. After working at Dongyang Securities and serving as a director at Dongwon Securities, he founded Mirae Asset Venture Investment and Mirae Asset Global Investments in 1997. He expanded the group’s business areas into securities and insurance by successively launching Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Securities, and Mirae Asset Life Insurance. He grew the group through a series of mergers and acquisitions, including SK Investment Trust Management, SK Life Insurance, and KDB Daewoo Securities, as well as local ETF management companies in Canada, the United States, and Australia, and the Indian securities firm Sharekhan. After stepping down as Chairman of Mirae Asset Securities, he has been focusing on overseas business as Global Strategy Officer. He is regarded as a pioneer of Korea’s capital market and one of the country’s top financial strategists. He serves as Co-Chair of the Strategy Committee of the National Growth Fund. He is often described as having a gambler’s mindset and an instinctive sense for investment. #ParkHyeonJoo #MiraeAsset #GlobalInvestment #ETF #IndianMarket #KoreaCapitalMarket #FinancialStrategist #AssetManagement #MergersAndAcquisitions #GlobalStrategy
  NEWS
  - • 'Giant' Mirae Asset's Park Hyeon-joo, Relentlessly Marching Toward a Global Investment Bank
- Chairman and CEO of KB Financial Group
  Yang Jong-hee
  
  Yang Jong-hee is the Chairman and CEO of KB Financial Group. He emphasizes digital innovation centered on artificial intelligence (AI) and data infrastructure. He is also strengthening non-banking businesses to diversify the group’s profit structure and is placing greater emphasis on policies to expand shareholder returns. He was born on June 10, 1961, in Jeonju. He graduated from Jeonju High School and majored in Korean History at Seoul National University, and completed an MBA program at Sogang University Graduate School of Business. He began his professional career at Housing & Commercial Bank. After Housing & Commercial Bank was merged into Kookmin Bank, he served as branch manager of KB Kookmin Bank’s Seocho Station Branch in Seoul’s Gangnam district, followed by positions as Head of the Secretariat of the Board of Directors at KB Financial Group, Head of the Strategic Planning Department, and Executive Vice President in charge of strategy. He led the practical work for the acquisition of LIG Insurance and was appointed CEO of KB Insurance in 2016. After serving as Vice Chairman of KB Financial Group, he became Chairman of KB Financial Group in 2023. He is regarded as an expert in finance and strategy and is known for his meticulous approach to work. #YangJonghee #KBFinancialGroup #KoreanBanking #FinancialLeadership #DigitalInnovation #AIandData #NonBankingStrategy #ShareholderReturns #KoreaFinance #CorporateBiography
  NEWS
  - • Yang Leads KB Toward KRW 6 Trillion Profit, Rewriting Value Strategy Ask ChatGPT
  - • Yang Jong-hee’s Second Term at KB Financial Begins Strong with Earnings Momentum and Innovation Confidence
- CEO of Gabia
  Kim Hong-kuk
  
  Kim Hong-kuk is the CEO of Gabia. Together with CEO Won Jong-hong, he leads Gabia as a co-CEO. He built Gabia by expanding from domains into new businesses such as hosting, cloud, and groupware, as well as through mergers and acquisitions. He was born on March 10, 1966, in Jeju Island. He graduated from the Department of Sociology at Yonsei University. In 1998, he founded GabiaNet and began web hosting services and website development businesses. He is a first-generation venture entrepreneur. Based on a strong sense of strategy, he has balanced leadership that takes organization, technology, and corporate culture into account. He faces challenges in overcoming unfavorable internal and external conditions, including profitability pressure caused by infrastructure investments such as the Gwacheon Data Center and competition with large CSPs. #KimHongkuk #Gabia #KoreanITEntrepreneur #WebHosting #DomainBusiness #CloudServices #DataCenter #VentureFounder #CoCEO #KoreanTechCompany
- CEO of Hecto Financial
  Choi Jong-won
  
  Choi Jong-won is the CEO of Hecto Financial. He is focusing on firmly establishing new businesses, including global operations and stablecoins, on a full-scale growth track. He was born on May 11, 1969. He graduated from the Department of International Trade at Sungkyunkwan University. He began his career at Narae Mobile Communications, then moved to Hansol PCS, and later worked in financial marketing at Korea Telecom Freetel (KTF), which acquired Hansol PCS, and at KT, which absorbed and merged with KTF. After serving as head of the New Business Division at KG Mobilians, an electronic payment gateway (PG) company, he joined Settlebank (Hecto Financial) as head of the Marketing Division. After serving as head of the BIZ Division, he was appointed CEO in 2020. Having worked at KTF, KT, and KG Mobilians, he is a fintech expert with 30 years of experience exclusively in the information and communications and easy payment sectors. He has a strong personal network. He has a goal of growing into a pan-Asian fintech leader by building financial networks for payments and settlements across Asia. #HectoFinancial #ChoiJongwon #fintech #stablecoin #digitalpayments #Asianfintech #CEOprofile #paymentnetwork #financialtechnology
- CEO of Hyundai Steel
  Lee Bo-ryong
  
  Lee Bo-ryong is the CEO of Hyundai Steel. He must respond to uncertainty in global markets and enhance execution capabilities for large-scale investment projects. He was born on September 2, 1965. He graduated from the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at Yonsei University and completed an MBA program at Yonsei University Graduate School of Business. He began his career at Hyundai Hysco, where he built on-site experience in automotive steel sheets and cold-rolled steel. After Hyundai Hysco was merged into Hyundai Steel in 2015, he served in a wide range of key positions at the steel mill, including Head of the Cold Rolling Production Office, Head of the Production Technology Office, Head of the Research and Development Division, Head of the Steel Plate Business Division, and Head of the Production Division. In December 2025, he was promoted to President of Hyundai Steel and appointed CEO through Hyundai Motor Group’s year-end executive reshuffle. He is a veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the steel industry, with expertise not only in research and development (R&D) engineering but also in overseeing overall steel business operations. He faces challenges such as the transition to environmentally friendly operations and responding to carbon regulations. #HyundaiSteel #LeeBoryong #steelindustry #CEOprofile #HyundaiMotorGroup #R&D #automotivesteel #carbonregulation #greentransition #Koreabusiness
- CEO of SK On
  Lee Young-wook
  
  Lee Young-wook is the CEO of SK On. He leads SK On as a co-CEO together with Lee Seok-hee and Kim Won-gi. He is expected to focus on turning SK On profitable and strengthening its financial soundness. He is also accelerating efforts to improve profitability and secure competitiveness in the battery business. He was born in March 1967. He graduated from Korea University High School and earned a degree in law from Seoul National University. He previously served as head of the Management Strategy Team at SK Innovation and went on to hold positions including head of Portfolio 3 Office, head of the PM2 Division, and head of the Investment 2 Center at SK, the group’s holding company. In 2020, he was appointed CEO of SK Materials, later served as CEO of SK Siltron, and was appointed CEO of SK On in October 2025. He is a strategy and finance expert and a specialist in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He has been recognized for his capabilities in restructuring business portfolios and improving corporate fundamentals. #SKOn #LeeYoungwook #batteryindustry #coCEO #profitability #financialhealth #M&A #businessstrategy #corporaterestructuring #SKGroup
- CEO of Kenkoa Aerospace
  Lee Min-kyu
  
  Lee Min-kyu is the CEO of Kenkoa Aerospace. He also serves as CEO of the U.S. subsidiaries California Metal & Supply and Kenkoa Aerospace LLC. He is focusing on expanding the military aircraft business by working as a partner with global major aircraft manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Embraer. He was born in Seoul on December 23, 1970. He graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Seoul National University and completed an MBA program at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. He began his career at Hyundai Precision & Industry (now Hyundai Mobis) at its San Diego subsidiary in the United States. He later served as Marketing Director at Bralco Metal, a major U.S. aluminum company. In 2013, he founded Kenkoa Aerospace in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. He grew Kenkoa Aerospace, a foreign-invested company, into a total solution provider of aerospace specialty materials. The company is fostering new growth businesses such as parts production for space launch vehicles and satellites, as well as the development of urban air mobility (UAM) and personal air vehicles (PAV). #LeeMinKyu #KenkoaAerospace #AerospaceIndustry #DefenseAviation #SpaceIndustry #UAM #PAV #AircraftParts #KoreanCEO #GlobalAerospace

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