[Asia Exclusive] Who is Jo Wook-je, the '34-year Yuhan Man' President... "I will create a company where people want to come to work early"

Jo Uk-je, President of Yuhan Corporation, Emphasizes Talent Philosophy

Cho Wook-je, President of Yuhan Corporation, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 6th at the reception room of Yuhan Corporation headquarters in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] "The DNA that will lead Yuhan Corporation in the 21st century is ‘people.’ We will pursue open innovation focused on people."

Jo Wook-je, President of Yuhan Corporation, is a ‘Yuhan man’ who has dedicated 34 years solely to Yuhan since joining in May 1987. Over the past 34 years, he has held key positions including hospital branch manager, ETC (ethical drugs) sales, marketing executive director, head of the pharmaceutical business division, and head of management division, before being appointed president this March.

He recalled, "I happened to meet a college classmate working at another pharmaceutical company on the street, and was tempted by the talk of higher salary, which led me to enter the pharmaceutical industry. Honestly, I am a shy person, but as I continued, I became more thick-skinned and never dreamed I would spend my entire career at a pharmaceutical company."

Regarding Yuhan Corporation, where he has worked for 34 years, Jo expressed affection, saying, "It is a truly great company. We need many companies like this for the nation." However, he did not hold back criticism. He identified the rigid organizational culture caused by pure-bloodism and seniority-based systems as a challenge Yuhan must overcome. Because there was no recruitment of experienced professionals, human exchange was limited, and hierarchical relationships based on seniority created a vertical culture.

Jo’s proposed solution is ‘open innovation’ not only for products but also for people. He emphasized, "People are the most important," and "We need to gather many talented individuals." He also stated, "We will not hesitate to invest in talent, such as by forming advisory groups and strengthening employee education." Through this, he aims to create a horizontal culture where anyone can freely express opinions and attract talents who will act as ‘catfish’ to invigorate the organization.

The Yuhan Corporation Jo wants to build through this is a company where employees "want to come to work early." He said, "Usually, when you wake up, you don’t want to go to work, right? I want to create a company where good people gather through significant investment, work goes well, and people want to come to work early with joy."

◇ Career

▲ Graduated Masan High School, 1975

▲ Graduated from Korea University, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, 1982

▲ Joined Yuhan Corporation, Northern Hospital Division, 1987

▲ Director, Hospital Branch Manager, Pharmaceutical Business Division, Yuhan Corporation, 2006

▲ Executive Director, ETC Sales Division 1, Yuhan Corporation, 2009

▲ Senior Executive Director, Marketing, Pharmaceutical Business Division, Yuhan Corporation, 2014

▲ Executive Director, Head of Pharmaceutical Business Division, Yuhan Corporation, 2015

▲ Completed AMP (Advanced Management Program), Seoul National University, 2016

▲ Vice President, Head of Management Division, Yuhan Corporation, 2019

▲ Executive Vice President, Yuhan Corporation, 2020

▲ President & CEO, Yuhan Corporation, 2021