[Person of the Year - Business] Lee Kun-hee, Chey Tae-won, Kim Bong-jin, Seo Jung-jin, Park Yong-man, Kim Taek-jin, Chung Eui-sun

2020. Like any other year, 365 days passed by. What were the events that left a mark on our society and history over the past year? South Korea was no exception to the unexpected variable of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that swept across the world. Korean society, which had already been 'dynamic' and turbulent, showed an even more complex and multifaceted appearance due to COVID-19. The editorial team of Asia Economy carefully selected the most influential figures of 2020 by field, who our society cannot help but remember or must remember.

Late Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics

Late Chairman Lee Kun-hee of Samsung [Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Lee Kun-hee of Samsung passed away on October 25 at the age of 78. After succeeding the management of Samsung Group in 1987, he led Samsung for about 27 years until his hospitalization in 2014. He is credited with building Samsung into a global company through new businesses such as semiconductors, smartphones, and bio. His representative management philosophies include the Frankfurt Declaration, which said "Change everything except your wife and children," and the new management emphasizing quality.

Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK

In the era of non-face-to-face communication, he is the epitome of an owner. He is this year’s figure who pondered the ‘safe and enjoyable livelihood’ in the COVID era. During the early pandemic situation, SK Group made swift decisions to introduce work-from-home policies starting with SK Telecom and then expanded it to all affiliates, contributing to public safety and early quarantine efforts across the business community. Chairman Chey Tae-won actively communicated by transforming into an owner YouTuber suitable for the non-face-to-face era, going beyond simple video conferences with content like ‘ramen mukbang.’

Kim Bong-jin, Chairman of Woowa Brothers

Kim Bong-jin, CEO of Woowa Brothers

"Delivery Hero (DH) was willing to accept selling Yogiyo because they highly valued Chairman Kim Bong-jin and Woowa Brothers." Chairman Kim completed the merger with DH this year and is now able to boldly challenge the Asian market. He leads Woowa DH Asia, a global joint venture overseeing the Asian market.

Seo Jung-jin, Chairman of Celltrion

Seo Jung-jin, Chairman of Celltrion Group

Seo Jung-jin, Chairman of Celltrion Group, is leading the development of Korea’s first COVID-19 treatment. He made a bold decision to clear existing factories to produce the COVID-19 treatment and sell it without profit. Next year, he plans to step down from all company positions and start a startup to develop new businesses such as telemedicine.

Park Yong-man, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Park Yong-man, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Park Yong-man, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, launched the Sandbox Support Center this year to support the market entry of innovative products that were difficult to commercialize under existing laws and systems. More than 80 innovative products have been supported through the Sandbox Support Center so far. Having led the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry for seven years since 2013, Chairman Park is scheduled to retire after his term ends in March next year.

Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft

Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft
Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, caught two rabbits this year: business and baseball. Thanks to the success of the Lineage siblings (Lineage M and 2M), NCSoft is likely to achieve annual sales of 2 trillion won for the first time in history. The ‘baseball enthusiast’ CEO’s team, NC Dinos, won both the regular season and the Korean Series championship in just nine years since its founding.

Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor

Chung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group

Chung Eui-sun, who became the head of Hyundai Motor Group last October, is considered one of the most active figures in the business world this year. He met with heads of major domestic groups such as Samsung, LG, SK, and Lotte to promote cooperation, and continued his aggressive moves to transform Hyundai into a ‘future mobility solution company,’ including acquiring Boston Dynamics, a U.S. robotics company.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.