KOREA WHO

Kim Dong-kwan is senior vice chairman of Hanwha Group.

He serves as CEO of the Strategic Divisions of Hanwha Corporation, Hanwha Solutions and Hanwha Aerospace, and of Hanwha Impact’s Investment Division.

As the leading candidate to succeed his father, Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, he oversees major group businesses including defense, energy, space, aviation, shipbuilding and chemicals.

He was born on October 31, 1983, as the eldest of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn’s three sons.

He graduated from St. Paul’s School in the United States and Harvard University with a degree in government.

After joining Hanwha Corporation as a deputy general manager in the chairman’s office, he worked at Hanwha SolarOne and Hanwha Qcells before becoming head of the Strategic Divisions of Hanwha Corporation and Hanwha Solutions.

In 2020, he was appointed CEO of the Strategic Division of Hanwha Solutions, which was launched through the integration of Hanwha Chemical and Hanwha Qcells.

He subsequently expanded his management responsibilities by taking on CEO roles in Hanwha Corporation’s Strategic Division, Hanwha Aerospace’s Strategic Division and Hanwha Impact’s Investment Division, and also serves as a non-executive director of Hanwha Ocean.

Since the mid-2010s, he has significantly expanded Hanwha Group’s business portfolio into defense and shipbuilding through mergers and acquisitions.

In defense and shipbuilding, he is implementing a blueprint to turn Hanwha into a global defense giant with a portfolio spanning land, sea, air and space.

He is seeking to counter China’s dominance of the global solar module market by commercializing perovskite tandem solar modules.

He maintains strict personal discipline through regular exercise.

He is described as exacting and meticulous, with polished manners.