'Jeonbuk Bank Man' Joined in 1988
"Opening the Way with President Im Yong-taek's Resignation"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyo-jin] Seohanguk, Senior Vice President (57, photo), has been appointed as the new head of Jeonbuk Bank.
Jeonbuk Bank announced on the 26th that the Executive Candidate Recommendation Committee had appointed Senior Vice President Seo as the next president. The CEO Candidate Recommendation Committee of JB Financial Group's subsidiary unanimously recommended Senior Vice President Seo as the new president on the 21st. This is the first time in the 52-year history of Jeonbuk Bank that an internal candidate has been promoted to president.
Born in 1964 in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, the appointee Seo graduated from Jeonju Commercial High School, Korea National Open University, and the Graduate School of Business at Jeonbuk National University. He joined Jeonbuk Bank in 1988 and has worked in various headquarters departments such as the General Planning Department and Risk Management Department, as well as at branches including Inhu-dong, Taepyeong-dong, Angol, and Palbok-dong.
In 2010, he served as the TFT team leader for the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) team at Jeonbuk Bank. He is credited with successfully leading the IFRS adoption project, the largest project in the bank's history.
Afterwards, he held positions such as Managing Director in charge of the Management Support Headquarters and Risk Management Headquarters at JB Financial Group. In 2016, he was appointed Vice President of Jeonbuk Bank and was promoted to Senior Vice President last year. During his tenure as Vice President, he oversaw the bank's digital finance operations.
He led the development of sales channels for JB Hae-sal-loan 17, revamped the mobile web and smart banking platforms, and focused particularly on enhancing non-face-to-face channels such as open banking and financial product mall services.
"The right person to contribute to regional economic development"
An official from the Executive Candidate Recommendation Committee said about Seo, "He has diverse experience across the financial industry and is highly evaluated for his managerial capabilities. Based on this experience and capability, we judged him to be the right candidate for Jeonbuk Bank president who can significantly contribute to regional economic development through efficient management of Jeonbuk Bank."
A Jeonbuk Bank official stated, "As he is from within the bank, he understands the local sentiment well and is familiar with internal affairs, which will help stabilize the organization. We expect him to contribute to regional economic development by expanding the local business base and strengthening support for small business owners and SMEs."
Seo is scheduled to be officially appointed through the shareholders' meeting in March.
Im Yong-taek, the president who was expected to serve a fourth term, decided to retire. On the 18th, he posted on the bank's internal bulletin board, saying, "What we need most now is 'change' and 'creative destruction' for that change," and added, "Therefore, I will withdraw my candidacy for the honorable CEO position of Jeonbuk Bank."
A Jeonbuk Bank official commented, "The background for the emergence of a 'native president' lies with President Im," and evaluated, "President Im's retirement paved the way for the first president from within the bank."
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