"'Father of Bacchus' Kang Shin-ho, Honorary Chairman of Dong-A Socio Group, Passes Away"

Leading the Group for 42 Years Since 1959
Great Success with Bacchus and Zaidenna
"Nothing Is More Valuable Than Life"
Also Taking the Lead in Social Responsibility

Kang Shin-ho, Honorary Chairman of Dong-A Socio Group, passed away in the early morning of the 3rd at the age of 96.

Kang Shin-ho, Honorary Chairman of Dong-A Socio Holdings.
[Photo by Dong-A Socio Holdings]

Born in 1927 in Sangju, Gyeongbuk, Kang, the first son among one son and one daughter of the late Kang Jung-hee, founder of Dong-A Socio Group, graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and earned a doctorate from the University of Freiburg in Germany. He joined Dong-A Pharmaceutical in 1959. Kang led the company on the front lines for about 42 years until he stepped down from management in 2017. He is credited with laying the foundation for Dong-A Pharmaceutical, which had sales of about 14.5 billion KRW in 1975, to leap into a global healthcare group today.

Honorary Chairman Kang Shin-ho worked to improve public health through the advancement of pharmaceuticals based on his belief that "there is no value greater than life." In 1980, he completed a modern factory in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, that met the Korean Good Manufacturing Practice (KGMP) standards, and in 1985, the company became the first in the industry to be designated with GMP facilities. In 1977, he established the industry's first corporate research institute, and in 1988, he set up a facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, that met the Korean Good Laboratory Practice (KGLP) standards for testing the safety of new drugs.

The company explained that these efforts laid the groundwork for Dong-A Socio Group to become a leading company in new drug development. Bacchus, developed by Kang in 1961, established itself as a representative domestic fatigue recovery tonic and achieved great success in the global market. Bacchus served as the foundation that allowed Dong-A Pharmaceutical to maintain its number one position in the domestic pharmaceutical industry for 47 years until the company transitioned to a holding company system in 2013.

The enthusiasm for new drug development, which intensified in the early 1990s, led to the creation of DA-125, the first synthetic Adriamycin derivative anticancer drug, in 1991. DA-125 was the first drug in Korea to be approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for clinical trials in 1994. Additionally, Kang led the birth of domestic new drugs including Zydena, the first erectile dysfunction treatment in Korea and the fourth worldwide, the super antibiotic Sibexthro, and the diabetes treatment Suganon.

The most important focus for Kang in managing the company was product development and securing excellent talent. Dong-A Pharmaceutical began its first open recruitment in 1959, and in 1980, it became the first in the domestic pharmaceutical industry to establish a talent development center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, institutionalizing employee education.

He also worked hard to fulfill social responsibility. It was Kang’s will to rename Dong-A Pharmaceutical Group to Dong-A Socio Group in 1994, using "Socio," which means "society." In 1987, he donated his private wealth to establish the Suseok Cultural Foundation, supporting scholarship programs, lifelong education, and educational welfare projects. Since its establishment, the foundation has supported over 1,900 scholarship students.

In addition, Kang was the first pharmaceutical industry executive to serve as chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries and also served as chairman of the Korea Industrial Technology Promotion Association, striving to support technological development activities in the industry and to lead government policies. His efforts were recognized in 2002 when he was awarded the Changjo Medal, the highest honor in the field of science and technology.

The funeral will be held as a Dong-A Socio Group funeral, with the funeral hall prepared in Room 1 of Seoul National University Hospital. Survived by his sons Kang Jung-seok, Kang Moon-seok, Kang Woo-seok, and daughters Kang In-kyung, Kang Young-rok, and Kang Yoon-kyung. The funeral procession will take place at 6:30 a.m. on the 5th, and the burial site will be at Seonsan in Daehyeon-ri, Ian-myeon, Sangju, Gyeongbuk.