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

- CEO of Aromatica
  Kim Young-kyun
  
  Kim Young-kyun is the CEO of Aromatica. He is focusing on expanding global distribution channels and strengthening product competitiveness. He was born on November 5, 1971. He graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with a major in trade and worked at KDB Industrial Bank. After leaving the bank, he founded Oricompany and Konisgunnel, launching various businesses. In 2004, he launched the essential-oil-based cosmetics brand “Aromatica” and began to fully develop the cosmetics business. Riding the momentum of the K-beauty boom, he has been strengthening the company’s portfolio with a focus on natural-oil-specialized hair-loss and scalp care, as well as trouble care products. He is one of the first-generation aromatherapists in Korea. He values a horizontal organizational culture. #Aromatica #KimYoungkyun #Kbeauty #aromatherapy #cosmetics #essentialoil #globaldistribution #scalpcare #hairlossCare #Koreanfounder
- Vice Chairman and CEO of Kolon’s Strategy Division
  Lee Kyu-ho
  
  Lee Kyu-ho is Vice Chairman and CEO of Kolon’s Strategy Division. He has focused his efforts on establishing and identifying future growth strategies for Kolon Mobility, which was launched in 2023, while also strengthening its financial capabilities. As the heir-apparent in the group’s succession plan, he has been working to prove his management capabilities by expanding his role into new businesses as well as private-sector diplomacy. Born in August 1984 in the United States, he is the great-grandson of founder Lee Won-man, who established Kolon Group, and the eldest son of Lee Woong-yeul, Honorary Chairman of Kolon Group. He attended high school in the United Kingdom and graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in the United States. He joined Kolon Industries as a deputy general manager, later moving to Kolon Global. After being promoted to executive director at the holding company Kolon, he was appointed the first CEO of its subsidiary, Liberto. As Executive Vice President of Kolon Global, he oversaw the imported car division, and in 2022, he was promoted to CEO and appointed CEO of Kolon Mobility, which was established by integrating the imported car division. Under Kolon Group’s principle of primogeniture, he is seen as the leading candidate to inherit management control. Demonstrating strong management capability is essential in order to receive a stake transfer from Honorary Chairman Lee Woong-yeul. He is known for his down-to-earth personality, easily mingling with employees without formality. #LeeKyuho #Kolon #KolonMobility #succession #strategy #leadership #Korea #automotive #heirapparent #management
  NEWS
  - • "0% Equity Successor" Lee Kyu-ho Builds War Chest, Urgently Needs Kolon's Turnaround
  - • Kolon Divests Unprofitable Business, Focuses on New Ventures—Attention on Lee Kyu-ho’s Succession Qualifications
- CEO of Jeju Bank
  Lee Hee-su
  
  Lee Hee-su is the CEO of Jeju Bank. He is laying the foundation for Jeju Bank’s growth by introducing the industry’s first attempt at ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Banking and building the dedicated digital financial brand DJ Bank. He was born on January 27, 1964. He graduated from Bukil High School in Cheonan, Chungnam, and from Konkuk University with a major in public administration. After joining Shinhan Bank, he worked at the Cheonan Branch, the Seoul Gwanghwamun Branch, the Seoul Seogyo-dong Corporate Finance Branch, and the Seoul Yongsan Corporate Finance Center, later serving as a credit review officer in the Corporate Loan Management Department. He served as Branch Manager of the Cheongju Court Branch, the Donggyo-dong Branch, and the Sogong-dong Finance Center, then worked as General Manager of the Headquarters Sales Department and as Head of the Incheon Regional Headquarters before being promoted to Deputy CEO as Head of the Retail Business Group. In 2021, he was appointed CEO of Shinhan Savings Bank, leading the growth of its asset size. He was appointed CEO of Jeju Bank in 2025. He is a sales specialist who built a long career in the field at Shinhan Bank. He earned the trust of both former Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byung, now Chairman of the Korea Federation of Banks, and current Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong. He faces the task of driving Jeju Bank’s digital transformation and restoring its financial performance. #LeeHeeSu #JejuBank #DJBank #ERPbanking #digitalfinance #ShinhanBank #bankingcareer #KoreaFinance #digitaltransformation #bankCEO
- Minister of National Defense
  Ahn Gyu-back
  
  Ahn Gyu-back is the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea. He has been emphasizing the restoration of military discipline and the recovery of public trust in the armed forces following the illegal December 3 emergency martial law incident. He is also devoting his efforts to introducing nuclear-powered submarines and transferring wartime operational control. He was born on April 29, 1961, in Gochang, Jeollabuk-do. He graduated from Seoseok High School in Gwangju and the Department of Eastern Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University. He completed the master's coursework in international trade at the Graduate School of International Trade at Sungkyunkwan University. He entered politics in 1998 as a party official of the Peace Democratic Party, later serving as Planning Director at the Political Training Institute and Director of the Organization Bureau of the Millennium Democratic Party. In 2008, he entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative of the United Democratic Party in the 18th general election. In the 2012 19th general election, he ran in Seoul Dongdaemun-gu Gap and was elected. He went on to win consecutively in the 20th, 21st, and 22nd general elections, becoming a five-term lawmaker. In 2016, he served as Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Korea, and in 2018, he became a member of the party’s Supreme Council. He also served as Chairman of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee. He was appointed Minister of National Defense in July 2025. He became the first civilian without military experience to lead the Defense Ministry in 64 years since the May 16 military coup. #AhnGyuback #Korea #NationalDefense #MinisterofDefense #ROKmilitary #WartimeOPCON #nuclearpoweredsubmarine #SouthKoreaPolitics #DemocraticParty #NationalAssembly
- CEO of Hanwha General Insurance
  Na Chea-bum
  
  Na Chea-bum is the CEO of Hanwha General Insurance. He has identified femtech as a future growth engine and is focusing on developing related insurance products with the goal of becoming “the insurance company that understands women best.” He was born on November 13, 1965, in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang Province. He graduated from Gyeongbuk Mechanical Technical High School and the Department of Law at Yeungnam University. He completed an MBA program at Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School. He joined Hanwha Life and served as Head of CPC Strategy, Senior Managing Director of the Management Planning Team, and Head of the Financial OPC Team, before taking the role of Executive in charge of Operations at the Planning and Management Team. After serving as Head of the Business Innovation Division, he was appointed CEO of Hanwha General Insurance in 2023. As one of Hanwha Group’s key financial experts, he is working to improve the company’s sales fundamentals and advance its management systems. #NaCheabum #HanwhaGeneralInsurance #Hanwha #insurance #femtech #Korea #CEO #businessinnovation #financialexpert #leadership
  NEWS
  - • Na Chea-bum of Hanwha Insurance: Success in Women’s Market Research Boosts Profitability and Image
  - • Na Chea-bum of Hanwha General Insurance Proves Potential of Women-Specific Insurance Market
- President and Head of the Samsung Electronics Business Support Office
  Park Hark-kyu
  
  Park Hark-kyu is the President and Head of the Business Support Office at Samsung Electronics. He has taken on a key role supporting the “New Samsung” strategy by overseeing group-wide investment, organizational management, and business efficiency. Amid crises across all business divisions, including semiconductors, smartphones, and home appliances, he faces the tasks of cutting costs, strengthening profitability, establishing the authority of the Business Support Office, and managing controversies over the group’s control tower. He was born on November 10, 1964, in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do. He graduated from Cheongju High School and Seoul National University with a degree in Business Administration. He received a master’s degree in Management Science from the KAIST Graduate School of Technology Management. He joined Samsung Electronics and served as General Manager of the Restructuring Headquarters’ Finance Team, then became Head of the Management Diagnostics Team at the Samsung Group Future Strategy Office. He resigned when the Future Strategy Office was disbanded after being implicated in the Choi Soon-sil state affairs scandal. After eight months, he returned as Executive Vice President overseeing Business Operations at Samsung SDS, later returning to Samsung Electronics to serve as President and Head of the DS Division’s Management Support Office, and was eventually appointed President and Head of the Samsung Electronics Business Support Office. He is regarded as a financial expert, having begun his career in the Samsung Group Secretariat’s Finance Team. He is known for strong drive and execution, to the point of being described as a “tough operator.” Although he is extremely disciplined in managing himself, he is also considered relatively flexible in his thinking. #Samsung #SamsungElectronics #ParkHarkKyu #businessstrategy #NewSamsung #semiconductor #corporategovernance #Korea #executiveprofile #technologyindustry
- CEO of POSCO M-TECH
  Kim Jin-bo
  
  Kim Jin-bo is the CEO of POSCO M-TECH. He was born in September 1965. In 2000, he completed his master’s program in Steel Engineering at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology). He has held key production-line positions at the Gwangyang and Pohang steelworks, including Head of Ironmaking, Head of Steelmaking, and roles in process quality. At the end of 2024, he was appointed to lead POSCO M-TECH in POSCO Group Chairman Jang In-hwa’s first year-end executive reshuffle. Kim Jin-bo is a field-oriented expert who built his career on the shop floor of steelworks. In his first year as CEO, the company fell into the red, so he must prioritize securing profitability and financial stability. #POSCO #POSCOMTECH #steel #POSTECH #Koreaindustry #CEO #leadership #manufacturing #ironmaking #finance
- Vice Chairman and CEO of Taihan Cable & Solution
  Song Jong-min
  
  Song Jong-min is the Vice Chairman and CEO of Taihan Cable & Solution. He sees submarine cables and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology as the company’s next growth engines and is focusing on advancing these technologies. He was born on April 1, 1964. He graduated from the Department of Accounting at Chosun University. He joined Hoban Construction and served as Managing Director in charge of management. In 2018, he was appointed CEO and President of Hoban Construction, later becoming Vice Chairman and CEO of Hoban Industry, before being appointed Vice Chairman and CEO of Taihan Cable & Solution in 2023. Based on improved performance, he has been making bold investments to strengthen production capacity at home and abroad while expanding the company’s business portfolio. #Taihan #SongJongmin #submarinecable #HVDC #construction #Hoban #energyinfra #powergrid #Koreaindustry #businessleadership
- CEO of Asterasis
  Seo Eun-taek
  
  Seo Eun-taek is the CEO of Asterasis. The company’s self-developed aesthetic medical device, CoolPhase, has completed its U.S. patent registration and is now accelerating its entry into the global market. He was born on February 5, 1969, as the son of Seo Jung-gu, former Chairman and founder of Daehan Science. He graduated from the Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering at Kwangwoon University and earned his master’s degree in Control and Instrumentation Engineering from Kwangwoon University Graduate School. He joined Samsung Electronics and worked as a researcher, then served as a senior researcher at Ncystech before entering Daehan Science, the company founded by his father. Starting in 2004, he served as CEO of Daehan Science. In 2015, he spun off the company’s medical device division to establish the medical device manufacturer Daehan Biomedical, which is now Asterasis. He aims to transform the company into a global top-tier aesthetic medical device enterprise based on innovative beauty medical technology.
- CEO of Yuhan Corporation
  Cho Wook-je
  
  Cho Wook-je is the CEO of Yuhan Corporation. He has set a goal of elevating Yuhan Corporation into one of the global top 50 pharmaceutical companies ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2026. He was born on January 2, 1955. He graduated from Masan High School in South Gyeongsang Province and from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at Korea University. After joining Yuhan Corporation, he worked exclusively in the sales division for 30 years, establishing himself as an expert in sales and marketing. He was appointed CEO in 2021 and has since been reappointed. He is focusing on developing a follow-up drug to “Lekraza,” a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. He is regarded as a leader who combines meticulous attention to detail with strong charisma.
  NEWS
  - • Yuhan Corporation Aims for Global Top 50—Can Cho Wook-je Create the Next "Leclaza"?
  - • Yuhan CEO Cho Wook-je Faces U.S. Delays, Eyes European Market for 'Leclaza'

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