KOREA WHO
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Harim Group Chairman
Kim Hong-kuk
From 10 Chicks to Conglomerate, Pursuing Food-Logistics-Retail Integration
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Last Updated on Jul 10, 2026
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Harim Group Chairman
Life Summary
Kim Hong-kuk is the chairman of Harim Group. He also serves as chairman and CEO of Harim Holdings, the group’s holding company, as well as Harim and Pan Ocean.
He is seeking to expand the group through new businesses based on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and make a new leap forward through the long-awaited logistics complex development project in Yangjae-dong.
He was born on June 27, 1957, according to the lunar calendar, in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.
He graduated from Iri Agricultural and Forestry High School, now known as Iksan Agricultural and Forestry High School, and the Department of Business Administration at Howon University. He completed an MBA program at the Graduate School of Business Administration of Jeonbuk National University.
After graduating from high school, he entered the poultry farming business.
He shut down the business after a sharp fall in chicken prices and worked as a salesperson for a food company. He later acquired a poultry farm and restarted the business.
Starting with 10 chicks, he built an integrated value chain covering the entire process from livestock farming, animal feed and slaughtering and processing to food manufacturing, distribution and sales.
The group expanded through mergers and acquisitions, including Pan Ocean and NS Shopping, and was designated as a large business group in 2022.
#KimHongkuk #HarimGroup #HarimHoldings #PanOcean #poultryindustry #foodbusiness #mergersandacquisitions #integratedvaluechain #Yangjaelogisticscomplex #Koreanentrepreneur
He is seeking to expand the group through new businesses based on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and make a new leap forward through the long-awaited logistics complex development project in Yangjae-dong.
He was born on June 27, 1957, according to the lunar calendar, in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.
He graduated from Iri Agricultural and Forestry High School, now known as Iksan Agricultural and Forestry High School, and the Department of Business Administration at Howon University. He completed an MBA program at the Graduate School of Business Administration of Jeonbuk National University.
After graduating from high school, he entered the poultry farming business.
He shut down the business after a sharp fall in chicken prices and worked as a salesperson for a food company. He later acquired a poultry farm and restarted the business.
Starting with 10 chicks, he built an integrated value chain covering the entire process from livestock farming, animal feed and slaughtering and processing to food manufacturing, distribution and sales.
The group expanded through mergers and acquisitions, including Pan Ocean and NS Shopping, and was designated as a large business group in 2022.
#KimHongkuk #HarimGroup #HarimHoldings #PanOcean #poultryindustry #foodbusiness #mergersandacquisitions #integratedvaluechain #Yangjaelogisticscomplex #Koreanentrepreneur