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Chairman of Hanjin Group
- Cho Won-tae is the Chairman of Hanjin Group. He also serves as the CEO of Korean Air.
He is putting great effort into persuading the competition authorities of the countries where corporate merger filings are mandatory to ensure the successful merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
To strengthen the financial soundness of Hanjin Group, he is promoting the sale of non-core assets.
Born on January 25, 1976, in Seoul, he is the eldest son of the late Cho Yang-ho, former Chairman of Hanjin Group.
He graduated from Marian High School in the United States and obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration from Inha University. He then received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California Graduate School.
After joining Hanjin Information & Communication, he moved to Korean Air and was promoted to vice president within 10 years of joining.
He was appointed CEO of Uniconverse, Hanjin Group's IT subsidiary, marking his full-fledged entry into management.
In 2016, he became the CEO of Korean Air, and in 2019, he became the Chairman of Hanjin Group, ushering in the era of the third generation of Hanjin Group's leadership.
Although he was at a disadvantage in the Hanjin Group management dispute, he demonstrated his gambler-like qualities by reversing the situation through the merger of Asiana Airlines.
He is transforming Korean Air's conservative organizational culture into one that is young and innovative.
He is known for his proactive management style and has extensive knowledge of IT.
#HanjinGroup #ChoWontae #KoreanAir #AsianaMerger #BusinessLeadership #CorporateManagement #ITKnowledge #OrganizationalChange #FinancialStrengthening #InnovativeManagement
Career Highlights & Challenges
Profile
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Chairman of SK Group and KCCI
Chey Tae-won
- Chey Tae-won is the chairman of SK Group. He also serves as the chairman of affiliates SK Innovation, SK Hynix, and SK Telecom, as well as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Emphasizing ESG management, he is expanding the eco-friendly business portfolio through investments in hydrogen and electric vehicle batteries.
He is building a group-wide "financial story" that aims to be trusted and empathized with by the market and stakeholders, beyond just revenue and operating profit.
He was born on December 3, 1960, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, as the eldest son of Chey Jong-hyun, the chairman of Sunkyong Group (now SK Group).
He graduated from Shinil High School and studied physics at Korea University. He completed a combined master's and doctoral program in economics at the University of Chicago Graduate School.
He joined SK Trading as a manager, then served as a director at SK America, and later as a managing director at SK Trading before becoming vice chairman and CEO of SK.
After becoming the chairman and CEO of SK, he also took on the role of CEO for SK Innovation and SK Hynix.
In 2022, he elevated SK Group to the second-largest business group in Korea by total assets, surpassing Hyundai Motor Group.
He is actively engaged in external activities as the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also served as the chairman of the private committee supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.
He is highly regarded for his global network and sense of business.
#CheyTaeWon #SKGroup #SKInnovation #SKHynix #SKTelecom #ESGManagement #HydrogenInvestment #EVBatteries #KoreaChamberOfCommerce #BusanExpoBid
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Chairman of Hanwha Group
Kim Seung-yeon
- Kim Seung-yeon is the chairman of Hanwha Group.
He is transferring management rights to his three sons, with the eldest son, Kim Dong-kwan, the vice chairman of Hanwha Group, at the center.
Through the strategic acquisition of Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering), he dreams of creating Korea's Lockheed Martin.
He was born on February 7, 1952, in Cheonan, Chungnam, as the eldest son of Kim Chong-hee, the founder of Hanwha Group (then Korea Explosives Group).
He left for the United States to study while attending Seoul Kyunggi High School.
He graduated from Menlo College with a degree in Business Administration and received a master's degree in International Politics from DePaul University.
After his father's death, he became chairman at the age of 29 and quickly expanded the scale of Hanwha Group.
During the process of overcoming the IMF bailout crisis, he earned the reputation of being a restructuring wizard.
Although he was convicted on charges of embezzlement and resigned from the representative director positions of Hanwha and six other affiliates, he maintained his position as the group chairman.
In 2021, he officially returned to group management after seven years by taking on non-registered executive roles at Hanwha, Hanwha Solutions, and Hanwha Construction.
He upholds trust as his management philosophy and has created a unique organizational culture that values loyalty.
He is solidifying the succession structure by guiding his three sons in the subsidiaries they are managing, one by one.
#KimSeungyeon #HanwhaGroup #KimDongkwan #managementsuccession #HanwhaOcean #LockheedMartin #businessleadership #corporatestrategy #IMFcrisis #organizationalculture
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Head of DS at Samsung Electronics
Jun Young-hyun
- Jun Young-hyun is the Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Solutions (DS) Division at Samsung Electronics.
He is focused on improving the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) business, an area where SK Hynix has taken the lead. Utilizing the capabilities of an integrated device manufacturer (IDM), he aims to turn the tables with the sixth-generation HBM4.
He is dedicated to technological development to stay ahead in the foundry competition with TSMC. Normalizing the System LSI business is also considered a major task.
He was born on December 20, 1960, in Seoul.
He graduated from Baejae High School and Hanyang University with a degree in electronic engineering.
He earned his master's and doctorate degrees in electronic engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
He worked as a researcher on the DRAM development team at LG Semiconductor. When LG Semiconductor merged with Hyundai Electronics, he moved to Samsung Electronics.
At Samsung Electronics, he served as the design team leader and development manager in the DRAM development office.
After being promoted to Vice President, he held roles as head of flash development, head of memory strategic marketing team, and head of the memory division.
He moved to Samsung SDI and served as CEO for five years.
Subsequently, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Samsung SDI, which led to speculation that he might step back from frontline management.
However, he was recognized for elevating the battery business to a global level and was appointed Vice Chairman and Head of Future Business Planning at Samsung Electronics.
As the semiconductor crisis intensified, he was appointed Head of the DS Division at Samsung Electronics on May 21, 2024, as a "relief pitcher." This marked an unusual career move, returning to Samsung Electronics as a responsible executive after moving to Samsung SDI.
He is known for his practical approach and meticulous personality that does not tolerate mistakes.
#JunYounghyun #SamsungElectronics #DSDivision #Semiconductor #HBM #IDM #TSMC #SystemLSI #SamsungSDI #KAIST
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Chairman of Shinsegae Group
Chung Yong-jin
- Chung Yong-jin is the chairman of Shinsegae Group.
Among Shinsegae Group's two main businesses, Shinsegae and Emart, he is in charge of Emart.
Focusing on the large-scale mart business, Emart, he leads supermarket, convenience store, specialty store, hotel, and complex shopping mall businesses. He acts as the head of Shinsegae Group on behalf of his mother, Lee Myung-hee, the general chairwoman of Shinsegae Group.
He was born on September 19, 1968, as the eldest son of Chung Jae-eun, honorary chairman of Shinsegae, and Lee Myung-hee, the general chairwoman of Shinsegae Group. Chung Yoo-kyung, the general president of Shinsegae, is his younger sister.
He attended Seoul National University, majoring in Western history, but dropped out and went to study abroad, graduating with a degree in economics from Brown University in the United States.
He started his career at Korea Fujitsu.
After joining Shinsegae as the executive director of the Strategic Planning Office, he served successively as managing director of the Planning and Coordination Office at Shinsegae Department Store, vice president of the Management Support Office at Shinsegae, and vice chairman of the Management Support Office at Shinsegae. He eventually became the vice chairman and CEO of both Shinsegae and Emart.
In 2024, he became the chairman of the group.
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Chairman of Samsung Electronics
Lee Jae-yong
- Lee Jae-yong is the chairman of Samsung Electronics.
As the third-generation owner of the Samsung Group, he succeeded the late former chairman Lee Kun-hee and oversees the management of the Samsung Group.
He was born on June 23, 1968, in Seoul as the grandson of Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul and the eldest son of the late former chairman Lee Kun-hee.
He graduated from Kyungbock High School in Seoul, earned a degree in Oriental History from Seoul National University, and received a Master's degree in Business Administration from Keio University in Japan. He also completed the doctoral program in Business Administration at Harvard Business School in the United States.
He joined Samsung Electronics as the head of the General Affairs Group.
He served as Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Management Strategy, COO and Vice President, President, and Vice Chairman.
After the late former chairman Lee Kun-hee was hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction, Lee Jae-yong practically led the Samsung Group as vice chairman. Following the passing of Lee Kun-hee, he inherited shares and officially succeeded the management rights, becoming chairman.
He was implicated in the Park Geun-hye-Choi Soon-sil scandal, sentenced to prison, and later released on parole. In August 2022, he was pardoned on Liberation Day. As of July 2024, he is undergoing a separate trial regarding the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, as well as the subsequent accounting fraud at Samsung Biologics.
He is focusing his efforts on achieving results in new businesses such as system semiconductors, automotive electronic components, and robotics, establishing new growth engines for Samsung Electronics. In particular, he is striving to lead in advanced semiconductor microfabrication processes in the AI era, staying ahead of global competitors.
He believes that securing talent and technology is the most crucial factor for strengthening competitiveness.
He is known for his down-to-earth personality, emphasizing rationality and practicality in decision-making. He is also praised for his affability and communication skills.
#LeeJaeyong #Samsung #SamsungElectronics #SouthKorea #BusinessLeader #Technology #Semiconductors #AI #NewBusiness #CorporateManagement
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Chairman of Woori Financial Group
Yim Jong-yong
- Yim Jong-yong is the chairman of Woori Financial Group.
He is working on strengthening Woori Financial Group's non-banking portfolio through the acquisition of insurance companies and the establishment of a securities firm.
He was born on August 3, 1959, in Boseong, Jeollanam-do.
He graduated from Youngdong High School in Seoul and majored in economics at Yonsei University.
In 1981, he entered public service by passing the 24th Administrative Examination.
He served as the head of the Banking System Division, Securities System Division, and Financial Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and as the First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.
He concluded his public service career as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister but returned to public service as the chairman of NH Nonghyup Financial Group and then as the chairman of the Financial Services Commission.
He is nicknamed the "Master of Mediation."
When he was appointed chairman of NH Nonghyup Financial Group, there were many concerns about whether he could withstand the powerful influence of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation due to his background as a former MOFIA (Ministry of Finance and Economy) official and his gentle personality.
However, before the acquisition of Woori Investment & Securities, he personally persuaded the heads of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of the necessity of the acquisition, leading to the successful acquisition of Woori Investment & Securities.
There were many skeptical views, with some saying, "Even Zhuge Liang couldn’t handle Nonghyup Financial," but with his excellent mediation skills, he expanded Nonghyup's financial business, earning him the reputation of being the "Zhuge Liang of the financial world."
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CEO of KCC Glass.
Chung Mong-ik
- Chung Mong-ik is the CEO of KCC Glass. He oversees the management of KCC Glass, which was established through a spin-off of the glass and interior (flooring, artificial marble, and HomeCC Interior) business units from KCC.
He serves as co-CEO alongside Byun Jong-oh, President of KCC Glass.
Chung became the largest shareholder of KCC Glass by acquiring an 8.56% stake from his elder brother, Chung Mong-jin, Chairman of KCC, after merging with Korea Auto Glass.
Born on January 28, 1962, in Seoul, Chung Mong-ik is the second son of Chung Sang-young, Honorary Chairman of KCC.
After graduating from Yongsan High School in Seoul, he studied Business Administration at Korea University and majored in Management Information Systems (MIS) at Syracuse University in the United States. He also earned a Master's degree in International Finance from George Washington University.
Chung joined KCC, where he held various positions including Head of the Management Headquarters, LA Office Director, Executive Vice President, President, and Vice Chairman.
As Chairman of KCC Glass, a company spun off from KCC, he is focused on enhancing the company's value.
He is known for being a meticulous and managerial type of leader.
#ChungMongik #KCCGlass #CEO #KoreaAutoGlass #BusinessLeader #KoreanBusiness #CorporateLeadership #InternationalFinance #ManagementInformationSystems #SpinOffCompany
