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Nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startup
Han Seong-sook
- Han Seong-sook (한성숙 in Korean) has been nominated as the first Minister of SMEs and Startups in the Lee Jae-myung administration. She was born on June 20, 1967, in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. Han graduated from Uijeongbu Girls' High School and earned her degree in English Language and Literature from Sookmyung Women’s University. She began her career as a reporter at the computer magazine Mincom, later serving as the head of public relations at Nanum Technology. In 1997, she joined the founding team of Empas. After moving to NHN, she played a leading role in transforming Naver into South Korea’s No. 1 internet company, serving as Head of Service Division 1 and Executive Director overseeing overall services. In 2017, she was appointed CEO of Naver and served in the role for five years. During her tenure, she was credited with leading what many call the company’s “golden era.” While leading Naver, Han paid special attention to initiatives supporting small business owners and SMEs, earning a reputation for her strong understanding of the startup and small business landscape. She is scheduled to face a confirmation hearing before the National Assembly’s Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee on July 15, 2025. After being nominated, she identified “digital transformation for small business owners and SMEs” as her top policy priority. If confirmed, Han will become the wealthiest minister in the civilian government era. #HanSeongSook #LeeJaeMyung #MinistryofSMEsandStartups #KoreaPolitics #DigitalTransformation #Naver #SMEPolicy #SmallBusinessSupport #Empas #WomenLeadership
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Nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startup
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CEO of KT Cloud
Choi Ji-woong
- Choi Ji-woong is the CEO of KT Cloud. He is focused on advancing the integration of AI, cloud, and data center technologies, while also fostering the development of an AI ecosystem. Born in 1974, Choi graduated from Dongguk University with a degree in computer engineering. He began his career as a technology consultant at EA Systems and Sun Microsystems, and later worked as a Global Professional Services (GPS) consultant at Red Hat Korea. In 2021, he co-founded Open Source Consulting and served as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). In March 2024, he was appointed CEO of KT Cloud. Choi is an open-source expert with extensive experience in technology consulting at global companies. He aims to transform KT Cloud into a technology-driven company with global competitiveness by internalizing key technologies, securing top talent, and driving customer value innovation. #KTCloud #ChoiJiwoong #AI #CloudComputing #DataCenter #OpenSource #TechLeadership #DigitalTransformation #KoreanIT #GlobalStrategy
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CEO of KT Cloud
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Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy n
Kim Jeong-kwan
- Kim Jeong-kwan has been nominated as the first Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy under the Lee Jae-myung administration. He was born in 1968 in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. He graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School and studied economics at Seoul National University. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Missouri in the United States. After passing the 36th civil service examination, Kim began his career at the Ministry of Finance, working in departments such as the Industry Tariff Division, Foreign Exchange Fund Division, and the Comprehensive Policy Division. He later served as an administrator in the Office of the President and as a financial cooperation expert at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), establishing a reputation as a seasoned policy expert. At the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, he held key positions including Director of the Comprehensive Policy Division and Director of the Economic Analysis Division. Following the personnel exchange program between the ministry and the Bank of Korea, he served as Director General of the Capital Markets Department and the International Economics Department at the Bank of Korea. After returning to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, he worked as Director General for Policy Planning. In 2018, he moved to DLI (now Doosan Management Institute), then an affiliate of Doosan Group's Economic Research Institute, as Deputy Head of Strategic Support (Executive Vice President). In 2019, he was appointed President and CEO of the Doosan Management Institute. In January 2025, he was named President of Marketing at Doosan Enerbility, a key affiliate of Doosan Group. He played a pivotal role in securing nuclear power plant orders, a core business of Doosan Group. He is regarded as a key talent with both expertise as an economic bureaucrat and hands-on experience in the real economy. Seen as the right person to implement President Lee Jae-myung’s philosophy that “now is the time to focus on growth,” Kim has been nominated as the first Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy in the new administration. #KimJeongkwan #LeeJaemyung #TradeMinistry #Doosan #DoosanEnerbility #KoreaPolitics #MinisterNominee #NuclearPower #IndustrialPolicy #EconomicBureaucrat
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Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy n
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Chairman and CEO of Boryung and Boryung
Kim Jung-gyun
- Kim Jung‑gyun is the Chairman and CEO of Boryung and Boryung Holdings. He was born on August 29, 1985, as the son of Kim Eun-sun, Chairwoman of Boryung Holdings. His birth name was Yoo Jung-gyun, but after the death of his father, his mother Kim Eun-sun inherited the management rights from her father, prompting him to change his surname to Kim. He earned a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan in the United States and later obtained a master’s degree in Social and Administrative Pharmacy from the Graduate School of Medicine and Food at Chung-Ang University. After working at Samjong KPMG in the U.S., he joined Boryung Pharmaceutical as a deputy director. He went on to serve in several departments, including Strategic Planning, Production Management, and Human Resources. In 2018, he was appointed CEO of Boryung Holdings. He was later promoted to President of Boryung and, in 2022, became its Chairman and CEO. As a third-generation owner, he has been actively investing in new business areas such as space healthcare. He is pursuing an aggressive growth strategy with the goal of reaching KRW 1 trillion (US$ 719.4 million) in revenue by 2026. #Boryung #BoryungHoldings #KimJunggyun #JayKim #pharmaceutical #KoreanCEO #spacehealthcare #healthtech #industrialengineering #growthstrategy
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Chairman and CEO of Boryung and Boryung
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CEO of GM Korea
Hector Villarreal
- Hector Villarreal is the President and CEO of GM Korea. He is a Mexican national, and his full name is Hector Raul Villarreal Gonzalez. He is focused on maintaining GM Korea's profitability and securing an annual production capacity of 500,000 units. He was born on September 18, 1967, in Mexico. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) and earned a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the same university. He joined General Motors (GM) at the Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico as a production project engineer. After being promoted to an executive in planning and program management, he joined GM Korea in 2012 as Vice President of Planning and Program Management. In 2015, he moved to GM Uzbekistan and was appointed President. He later served as GM Russia Executive Director, President of GM Southeast Asia, and Vice President of Sales, Service, and Marketing for GM Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In August 2023, he was appointed President and CEO of GM Korea. He significantly increased GM Korea’s revenue and operating profit. #HectorVillarreal #GMKorea #GMMexico #AutomotiveIndustry #Leadership #KoreanAutomotive #GMUzbekistan #GMRussia #GMSoutheastAsia #IndustrialEngineering
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CEO of GM Korea
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CEO of Kbank
Choi Woo-hyoung
- Choi Woo-hyoung is the CEO and President of Kbank. He is tasked with successfully leading Kbank’s initial public offering (IPO). He aims to secure future growth engines by targeting the corporate finance market. He was born on January 25, 1966. He graduated from Kyungdong High School in Seoul and the Department of Economics at Seoul National University. He received a master's degree in Financial Management from the Graduate School of Business at Seoul National University. After passing the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, he began his career at Hana Bank in 1992. He later moved to Accenture, where he served as a Senior Manager in the Financial Services Industry (FSI) and as the leader of the Financial Performance Management (FPM) division. He served as Head of Development (Executive Director) at Samsung SDS and as Executive Director of Financial Business Development at IBM Korea. He returned to the financial industry by joining Kyongnam Bank as Deputy President and Head of the Digital Finance Division. After BNK Financial Group acquired Kyongnam Bank, he concurrently held the positions of Head of Digital and IT at BNK Financial Group and Deputy President and Head of the D-IT Group at Kyongnam Bank. He was appointed CEO of Kbank in January 2024. He is a digital finance expert with experience in both the financial and IT industries. He values practicality and communication. #ChoiWoohyoung #Kbank #digitalfinance #IPO #Koreanbanking #BNKFinancialGroup #KyongnamBank #Accenture #SamsungSDS #financialleadership
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CEO of Kbank
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CEO of Kumho Petrochemical
Park Jun-kyung
- Park Jun-kyung is the President and CEO of Kumho Petro Chemical. He is a third-generation business executive of the Kumho Petro Chemical Group. He is focused on strengthening the company’s eco-friendly portfolio to foster future core businesses and solidify its position as a leading company in the industry. Born on April 30, 1978, he is the eldest son of Park Chan-koo, Chairman of Kumho Petro Chemical Group. He graduated from Goojung High School in Seoul and studied Environmental Engineering at Korea University. In 2007, he began his career as a deputy general manager at Kumho Tire. He later moved to Kumho Petro Chemical, where he gained experience primarily in sales, serving as Managing Director of Resin Sales and then as Executive Vice President and Head of the Sales Division. In December 2022, he was appointed President and CEO of Kumho Petro Chemical. He is known for his humility and places great importance on maintaining horizontal relationships. #ParkJunkyung #KumhoPetroChemical #KoreanBusinessLeader #ThirdGenerationCEO #EcoFriendlyBusiness #EnvironmentalEngineering #KoreaUniversity #KumhoGroup #ChemicalIndustry #LeadershipStyle
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CEO of Kumho Petrochemical
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The President of the Republic of Korea
Lee Jae-myung
- Lee Jae-myung ("이재명" in Korean) is the 21st President of the Republic of Korea. He was elected president in the early presidential election held on June 3, following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. His top priorities are ending the internal unrest and overcoming the economic crisis. Born on December 22, 1964, in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, he was the fifth of seven children. He passed qualification exams for both middle and high school, then graduated from the Department of Law at Chung-Ang University. After passing the 28th bar exam, he worked as a human rights lawyer and entered politics through his involvement in a campaign to establish Seongnam City Medical Center. He joined the Uri Party and ran for mayor of Seongnam but lost. He later served as a senior deputy chief of staff to presidential candidate Chung Dong-young, and although he was strategically nominated to run in Bundang A District in Seongnam during the general election, he was unsuccessful. He ran again in the 5th local elections, won the mayoral seat in Seongnam, and was re-elected for a second term. In the 7th local elections, he ran as the Democratic Party's candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province and won. In the 2022 Democratic Party presidential primary, he defeated former party leader Lee Nak-yon to become the nominee but lost the presidential race to Yoon Suk-yeol, the candidate of the People Power Party. He was later elected in a by-election for the Gyeyang B District in Incheon and became party leader. After winning a seat in the April 2024 general elections, he was re-elected as leader of the Democratic Party. In April 2025, he stepped down from the party leadership to run in the 21st presidential election and was elected President of the Republic of Korea on June 4 of the same year. #LeeJaeMyung #SouthKoreaPresident #KoreanPolitics #DemocraticParty #PresidentialElection #YoonSukYeol #SeongnamMayor #GyeonggiGovernor #Election2025 #KoreanHistory
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The President of the Republic of Korea
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CEO of Hana Securities
Kang Seong-muk
- Kang Seong-muk is Vice Chairman of Hana Financial Group and President and CEO of Hana Securities. He oversees the group's retail, wealth management, corporate and investment banking (CIB), and capital markets businesses, focusing on enhancing expertise and expanding collaboration. He is tasked with successfully securing the megainvestment bank (IB) license for the securities firm. He was born on September 27, 1964, in Cheongju. He graduated from Cheongju Shinheung High School and the Department of Sociology at Sogang University. He began his career at Commercial Bank. At Hana Bank, he served as Branch Manager of the Bundang Central Branch, Head of Management Support and Sales Support Groups, and Deputy President, and later became Vice President of Hana UBS Asset Management. In 2022, he was appointed CEO of Hana Alternative Asset Management. In 2023, he was named CEO of Hana Securities and Vice Chairman of the financial holding company. At the end of 2024, he was listed as a candidate for Chairman of Hana Financial Group, solidifying his standing within the group. He is recognized as a sales expert with comprehensive experience in retail, corporate banking, and asset management. He is known for his modest and humble character. #KangSeongmuk #HanaFinancialGroup #HanaSecurities #KoreanFinance #InvestmentBanking #AssetManagement #LeadershipProfile #FinancialExecutive #CIB #KoreaBusiness
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CEO of Hana Securities
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CEO of GS E&C
Huh Yoon-hong
- Huh Yoon-hong is the President and CEO of GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C). As the 4th generation leader of the GS Group, he is dedicated to restoring trust following a series of incidents and controversies, including the collapse of an underground parking lot in Incheon. He was born on January 24, 1979, in Seoul, as the eldest son of Huh Chang-soo, the Chairman of GS Construction. He graduated from Seoul Han Young Foreign Language High School and earned a degree in International Business from Saint Louis University in the United States. He also obtained a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington. After joining LG-Caltex Oil (now GS Caltex), he moved to GS Construction, where he is celebrating his 19th year. Prior to becoming CEO, he held positions as the Future Innovation Representative, Business Support Director, and Head of New Business Division. With extensive experience in overseas construction sites, he emphasizes on-site management. Known for his modest and amicable personality, he often shares drinks with his employees.
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CEO of GS E&C
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