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

- Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea
  Jung Chung-rai
  
  Jung Chung-rai is the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. He is working to provide policy support for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and is striving to swiftly complete reform legislation, including prosecution reform. He was born in 1965 in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province. He graduated from Bomun High School in Daejeon and went on to earn a degree in Industrial Engineering from Konkuk University. He later completed a graduate program in North Korea and Unification Policy at the Graduate School of Public Policy at Sogang University. In 2002, he entered politics as a member of the preparatory committee for the internet-based political party “Jeongjeongdangdang.” In the 2004 general election, he was elected as the Uri Party candidate for the Mapo-eul constituency in Seoul, marking the first of his four terms in the National Assembly. He has served twice as a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea. He also served as chair of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, as well as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. In August 2025, he was elected leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. #JungChungrai #DemocraticParty #SouthKorea #politics #leadership #LeeJaemyung #prosecutionreform #NationalAssembly #policy #reform
- CEO of SureSoftTech
  Bae Hyun-seop
  
  Bae Hyun-seop is the CEO of SureSoftTech. He was born on January 12, 1972. He graduated from Gyeonggi Science High School and the Department of Computer Science at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). He earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science from KAIST. He began his career at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) as a senior researcher. He later joined MacroImpact, where he worked as Chief Technology Officer, before founding SureSoftTech in 2002. SureSoftTech is the only company in Korea specializing in software testing and verification. It has been steadily expanding its business portfolio and global presence, reaching into future industries such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI). He has also served as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, KAIST Graduate School of Software. #SureSoftTech #BaeHyunseop #software #testing #verification #AI #bigdata #Korea #KAIST #entrepreneurship #technology
- CEO of Nexsus
  Chang Hyun-guk
  
  Chang Hyun-guk is the CEO of Nexsus. With the goal of leading the blockchain gaming industry, he acquired Action Square and established Nexsus. He was born on October 8, 1974. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Business Administration and earned an MBA in Management Engineering from the KAIST Graduate School of Business and Technology. He began his career at Nexon and later worked at the medical device company Medison. In 2000, he joined Neowiz, where he served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before being appointed CEO of Neowiz Mobile in 2011. He later became CEO of Wemade Entertainment (now Wemade), CEO of Joymax (now Wemade Max), a board director at Bithumb Korea, and CEO of WEMIX Korea. He left the company after serving as Vice Chairman of Wemade. After serving as co-CEO of Action Square, he acquired the company and relaunched it as Nexsus. #ChangHyunGuk #Nexsus #ActionSquare #blockchaingames #Wemade #Neowiz #Bithumb #SeoulNationalUniversity #KAIST #gamingindustry
  NEWS
  - • Why Neowiz Mafia’s Chang Hyun-guk Is Betting on Blockchain—Is CROSS the New WEMIX?
- Chairman of Kookmin University
  Kim Ji-yong
  
  Kim Ji-yong is the chairman of the Kookmin Foundation, the educational foundation of Kookmin University. He is a third-generation member of the founding family of SsangYong Group and also serves as chairman of the Guam Academy Foundation and as a board member of the Sungkok Media Fire Foundation. He was born on October 1, 1973, in Seoul. He graduated from Seoul High School and earned a degree in Business Administration from Korea University. In 2016, he was appointed chairman of the Kookmin Foundation. By incorporating future mobility into automotive studies, he has been developing it as a specialized field at Kookmin University. He established the nation’s first Graduate School of Automotive Engineering, College of Automotive Studies, and Graduate School of Automotive Industry, focusing on training experts in automotive engineering and design. He also served as head of the Korean delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and as president of the Korea Swimming Federation. He became embroiled in controversy after being summoned as a witness during a National Assembly audit regarding the plagiarism allegations involving Kim Keon-hee’s dissertation, but he failed to attend for three consecutive years, citing overseas business trips.
- Vice Chairman of IS Dongseo
  Kwon Min-seok
  
  Kwon Min-seok is Vice Chairman of IS Dongseo. His main challenges include reviving the company’s construction business and solidifying its waste battery recycling operations. He was born on February 27, 1978, the son of Kwon Hyuk-woon, Chairman of IS Dongseo, and nephew of Kwon Hong-sa, Chairman of Bando Group. He graduated from Hanyoung Foreign Language High School in Seoul and earned a degree in economics from Boston University in the United States. He later completed an MBA at Yonsei University Graduate School of Business. Kwon began his career at Ilshin Construction Industry, the predecessor of IS Dongseo. In 2012, at the age of 35, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of IS Dongseo. After stepping down as CEO in 2021, he continued to oversee company-wide management as an executive director. In March 2025, he left his board position and assumed the role of Vice Chairman, focusing on strengthening the professional management system. #KwonMinseok #ISDongseo #construction #batteryrecycling #leadership #SouthKorea #MBA #BostonUniversity #executivedirector #professionalmanagement #corporategovernance
  NEWS
  - • Kwon Min-seok Steps Down as IS Dongseo CEO After 3 Months; Switches to Professional Management
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WCP
  Choi Won-kun
  
  Choi Won-kun is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WCP, a company that produces separators, one of the four key materials used in secondary batteries. The company has set a target of achieving KRW 1 trillion in revenue by 2030. He was born on May 30, 1963. He graduated from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in Electronic Engineering. In 1990, he joined Samsung Electronics, where he worked in global marketing and LCD product planning. He later joined Wide as Executive Vice President. In 2005, he secured investment from Japan and established W-Able (currently known as W-Scope). In 2016, he founded WCP in Korea, once again setting the goal of reaching KRW 1 trillion in revenue by 2030. He is recognized for his strong drive and places great importance on technological competitiveness.
- Chairman of Kyochon F&B
  Kwon Won-kang
  
  Kwon Won-kang is the chairman of Kyochon F&B. He has focused on transitioning Kyochon F&B into a professional management system. He was born on August 15, 1951, in Daegu. He dropped out of Daegun High School in Daegu and drove a truck selling vegetables to support his family. While working at a construction site in Indonesia, he contracted hyperthyroidism and returned to Korea. Afterward, he worked as a taxi driver and used the proceeds from selling his individual taxi license to open “Kyochon Tongdak,” a fried chicken shop in an apartment shopping complex in Gumi, North Gyeongsang. In 1999, he founded KNG System to begin franchise operations in earnest and later changed the company’s name to Kyochon F&B. In 2019, he stepped down as CEO and chairman to adopt a professional management system but returned as chairman three years later. In 2024, he resigned as chairman of the board, and in 2025, he stepped down as an internal director. He is known as a principled leader, striving to uphold management principles once established. Starting from a small neighborhood fried chicken shop, he built the company into the No. 1 chicken brand in Korea by sales, making him a self-made figure. #KwonWonkang #Kyochon #chickenindustry #franchise #Daegu #professionalmanagement #entrepreneurship #selfmade #Koreanbusiness #leadership
- Founder and President of Gachon University
  Lee Gil-ya
  
  Lee Gil-ya is the founder and president of Gachon University. She is also the honorary chair of Gachon University Gil Medical Center. She has dedicated her efforts to shaping the university into a hub for advanced industries, with a focus on bio, battery, and semiconductor fields, collectively referred to as BBC (Bio·Battery·Chips). She was born on May 9, 1932 (lunar calendar) in Okgu, North Jeolla Province. In Incheon, she opened the Lee Gil-ya Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, which later grew into the Gil Medical Foundation and Gachon University Gil Medical Center. In 2012, Gachon University was established through the merger of Gachon University of Medicine and Science and Kyungwon University, and even at the age of 93, she continues to serve as president. She oversees Gachon University, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Gachon University Gil Oriental Medicine Hospital, the Neuroscience Research Institute, the Lee Gil-ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, the newspaper Gyeongin Ilbo, the Gachon Cultural Foundation, the Gachon Museum, and Shinmyeong Girls’ High School, while advancing initiatives in education, medicine, research, and media through the nonprofit Gachon Gil Foundation. She has remained unmarried throughout her life. #LeeGilya #GachonUniversity #founder #president #BBC #bio #battery #semiconductor #medicalcenter #education #research
- CEO of Viol
  Lee Sang-jin
  
  Lee Sang-jin is the Chief Executive Officer of Viol. He was born in February 1969. He graduated from Kyungpook National University with a degree in accounting. He built his career in the financial sector at Daewoo Securities and Peace Bank before joining DMS, a display panel equipment manufacturer, in 2001. While serving as Chief Financial Officer, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Viol in 2019, where DMS was the largest shareholder. Leveraging the company’s financial capabilities, he has driven Viol’s growth through global strategies. He now faces a critical juncture as new owner VIG Partners pursues a voluntary delisting plan. #LeeSangjin #Viol #CEO #finance #globalstrategy #growth #delisting #VIGPartners #DMS #leadership
- CEO of Oncocross
  Kim Yi-rang
  
  Kim Yi-rang is the Chief Executive Officer of Oncocross. He is focusing on leveraging the company’s AI drug development platform, RAPTOR AI, to expand into the global market. He is also diversifying the company’s portfolio with a new cancer diagnostics venture. He was born on November 30, 1980. He graduated from the Department of Medicine at Chosun University, earned a master’s degree from the Graduate School of the University of Ulsan, and received a Ph.D. from the KAIST Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in oncology at Asan Medical Center in Seoul. In 2015, while serving as Chief of the Hematology-Oncology Department at Daejeon Yuseong Sun Hospital, he founded Oncocross. As a physician-scientist, he places patients at the center of his work. He founded the company out of a desire to develop therapies tailored to each patient. He also serves as president of the AI Drug Development Council.

Types of Companies