KOREA WHO
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Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group
Kim Jae-chul
From Tuna to Batteries, Final HMM Bid
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Last Updated on Apr 22, 2026
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Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group
Life Summary
Kim Jae-chul is Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group.
He was born on April 7, 1935, in Gangjin, South Jeolla, as the eldest son among nine siblings.
He graduated from Gangjin Agricultural High School and from Busan Fisheries University, now Pukyong National University.
He began his connection with the fisheries industry by boarding Jinam-ho, Korea’s first deep-sea fishing vessel.
He founded Dongwon Industries and began deep-sea fishing operations, and entered the financial industry by acquiring Hanshin Securities.
Through mergers, acquisitions, and investments, he expanded into industries including construction, telecommunications, secondary batteries, and logistics, creating Dongwon Group.
In 1989, he became Chairman of Dongwon Group. In 2003, he also served as Chairman of Dongwon Financial Holdings.
In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding, he stepped down from frontline management and has since served as Honorary Chairman and management advisor.
In 2023, he came to the forefront of the bid to acquire HMM, moving aggressively toward his “last dream.” He is also keeping an eye on the bio market.
He launched Korea’s first canned tuna product and created “Dongwon Tuna,” one of the country’s 대표 products.
By acquiring StarKist, the largest canned tuna company in the United States, he rose to No. 1 in the world in both tuna catch volume and tuna processing.
He also served as Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association.
#KimJae-chul #DongwonGroup #DongwonTuna #StarKist #deepseafishing #Koreabusiness #HMM #biomarket #mergersandacquisitions #Koreanentrepreneur
He was born on April 7, 1935, in Gangjin, South Jeolla, as the eldest son among nine siblings.
He graduated from Gangjin Agricultural High School and from Busan Fisheries University, now Pukyong National University.
He began his connection with the fisheries industry by boarding Jinam-ho, Korea’s first deep-sea fishing vessel.
He founded Dongwon Industries and began deep-sea fishing operations, and entered the financial industry by acquiring Hanshin Securities.
Through mergers, acquisitions, and investments, he expanded into industries including construction, telecommunications, secondary batteries, and logistics, creating Dongwon Group.
In 1989, he became Chairman of Dongwon Group. In 2003, he also served as Chairman of Dongwon Financial Holdings.
In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding, he stepped down from frontline management and has since served as Honorary Chairman and management advisor.
In 2023, he came to the forefront of the bid to acquire HMM, moving aggressively toward his “last dream.” He is also keeping an eye on the bio market.
He launched Korea’s first canned tuna product and created “Dongwon Tuna,” one of the country’s 대표 products.
By acquiring StarKist, the largest canned tuna company in the United States, he rose to No. 1 in the world in both tuna catch volume and tuna processing.
He also served as Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association.
#KimJae-chul #DongwonGroup #DongwonTuna #StarKist #deepseafishing #Koreabusiness #HMM #biomarket #mergersandacquisitions #Koreanentrepreneur