Kospo to Hold Board Meeting on 24th... Recommend Next Chair
CEO Park Jaewook "Serving Startup Ecosystem Growth"
Highly Valued for Years of Startup Experience and Spirit of Challenge
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Park Jae-wook, CEO of Socar, has been confirmed as the sole candidate for the next chairman of the Korea Startup Forum (KOSPO). The KOSPO chairman is elected at the general meeting upon the recommendation of the board of directors, and the general meeting will be held on the 22nd of next month. The term is two years with the possibility of one reappointment.
The nonprofit corporation KOSPO held its first board meeting of 2022 at Dreamplus Gangnam on the 24th. The board meeting was conducted with 15 of the 18 directors present, including Chairpersons Kim Seul-ah, Ahn Sung-woo, Lee Seung-gun, and CEO Choi Sung-jin.
At the board meeting, the agenda regarding the recommendation of the next chairman was approved. With the expiration of the term of the co-chairpersons Kim Seul-ah, Ahn Sung-woo, and Lee Seung-gun, who were elected in February 2020, Park Jae-wook, CEO of Socar, who was nominated as a candidate for chairman, was unanimously confirmed by the board as the next chairman candidate. The KOSPO chairman is elected at the general meeting upon the board’s recommendation. The general meeting is scheduled to be held on the 22nd of next month.
CEO Park founded VCNC in 2011 and launched 'Between,' a social media platform for couples, which recorded over 40 million downloads. VCNC was acquired by Socar in 2018 and introduced the ride-hailing platform 'Tada.' Park has been serving as Socar’s CEO since 2020.
Park was recommended as the next chairman in recognition of his capabilities gained through years of entrepreneurial experience and his high understanding of KOSPO’s role, built through his activities as a KOSPO director. KOSPO stated, "Despite facing sharp regulatory issues, his entrepreneurial spirit of continuing challenges without stopping has earned strong trust within the startup industry, which we highly value."
CEO Park expressed his aspirations, saying, "I feel a heavy responsibility to serve on behalf of startups so that the startup ecosystem can grow. Going forward, I will take the lead in building trust so that startups and entrepreneurs can be socially respected and in creating a culture that contributes to society."
KOSPO has set this year’s activity goals as "the center of startup collaboration and the core of ecosystem development," focusing on ▲ strengthening the central role in revitalizing the startup ecosystem ▲ enhancing startup policy capabilities and improving the environment ▲ and establishing a foundation for sustainable growth.
By strengthening its role as a policy think tank for the startup industry, KOSPO plans to promote key policy tasks to create a "startup-friendly country," not only improving regulations for member companies but also systematizing policy cooperation and regulatory support.
KOSPO is the largest startup organization in Korea, with over 1,780 startups and innovative companies participating. It was established in 2016 by startups themselves to support ecosystem development and represent common interests. It operates membership programs that help improve the startup regulatory environment, respond to policies, and strengthen capabilities among member companies.
Currently, Kim Seul-ah, CEO of Kurly; Ahn Sung-woo, CEO of Zigbang; and Lee Seung-gun, CEO of Viva Republica, lead KOSPO as the second chairman group, while Kim Bong-jin, chairman of Woowa Brothers, served as the inaugural chairman.
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