[Top 100 CEOs] The Disappearing 'Oppa CEO'... The Hangang Miracle Generation Takes the Lead

③No '58 Year Dog' CEOs Among Korea's Top 100 Companies

Among the CEOs of the top 100 companies, Chairman Son Kyung-sik (left) is the oldest, and Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan is the youngest.

Among the top 100 CEOs of South Korean companies, there were no CEOs born in 1958 (age 65). The '58 dog year' generation, representing the baby boomers, accounted for the largest number of CEOs in the domestic business world just four years ago. Their retirement marks a generational shift. The majority of CEOs of the top 100 companies are now those born in the 1960s, in their 50s to early 60s. Those born in the 1960s made up 66% of the top 100 CEOs, while only 16% were older than those born in 1958.

According to Asia Economy's analysis of the top 100 CEOs, including co-CEOs, the average age of 120 CEOs whose ages were confirmed was 59.58 years. Over the past decade, the average age of CEOs of the top 100 companies has remained around 59 years. In fact, the largest group was those born in 1964, who are 59 years old this year, numbering 14. There were also 14 CEOs born in 1961, followed by 13 born in 1962 and 12 in 1963. An average age of 59 means these CEOs have become the core leaders of the top 100 companies driving the Korean economy. The rise of CEOs born between 1961 and 1964 as the main generation of the top 100 companies indicates that baby boomer CEOs have begun to step down from the front lines. The year 1961 was the year of the May 16 military coup. From then on, bureaucrats and businesspeople frequently spoke of the "Miracle on the Han River." Those born in the early days of the Miracle on the Han River have reached the pinnacle of Korean business.

What stands out most is that there were no CEOs born in 1958, also known as the 'Oppa (58) CEOs,' among the top 100 companies, despite them being the most numerous among Korean business CEOs. This is a stark contrast to a 2019 survey by the Korea CXO Institute, which found that among 1,328 CEOs of the top 1,000 companies, 93 were born in 1958, the largest group. Representative CEOs born in 1958 include Kim Ki-nam, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics (65), who moved to become Chairman of Samsung Electronics’ Advanced Institute of Technology, Park Han-woo, President of Kia Motors (65), and Nam Joon-woo, President of Samsung Heavy Industries (65), all of whom have retired. The '58 dog year' generation represents the baby boomers and is regarded as a generation that has endured the turbulent modern history of Korea. As they begin to exit the industrial stage, the leadership of the Korean economy is being passed on to the next generation.

However, there are 19 'veteran' CEOs older than the '58 dog year' generation who still hold positions in the top 100 companies. Among them, one CEO is over 80 years old, and two are over 70. Kwon Oh-gap, Chairman of HD Hyundai (72), was born in 1951, and Kim Jung-nam, Vice Chairman of DB Insurance (71), was born in 1952. The largest age group is in their 60s, with 64 CEOs, followed by 44 in their 50s and 9 in their 40s.

The oldest CEO is veteran entrepreneur Son Kyung-sik, who has been CEO of CJ since 1993. Born in 1939, he is 84 years old. The youngest CEO among the top 100 companies is Kim Dong-kwan, Vice Chairman of Hanwha, born in 1983, aged 40. Kim has been CEO of Hanwha Solutions since 2020, when he was in his 30s. The age difference between Kim Dong-kwan and Son Kyung-sik is 44 years. Jung Ki-sun, CEO of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, was born in 1982 and is 41 years old, one year older than Kim Dong-kwan. Among CEOs in their 40s are Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG (45), born in 1978, Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Korean Air (48), born in 1975, and Choi Yoon-beom, Chairman of Korea Zinc, also born in 1975 and aged 48. These five share the commonality of being part of the owner family. The youngest CEO who is not part of an owner family is Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, born in 1981 and aged 42.