Kim Jae-cheol Honorary Chairman's Second Son
Promotion Approved at Board Meeting
First Promotion in 10 Years Since Appointment as Vice Chairman in 2014
Namjung Kim, the second son of Kim Jae-cheol, Honorary Chairman of Dongwon Group, will be inaugurated as the group chairman. This comes 10 years after he was appointed vice chairman in 2014.
On the 28th, Dongwon Group announced that it held a board meeting at its headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and resolved to promote Vice Chairman Kim to chairman. The position of Dongwon Group chairman had been vacant for five years since Honorary Chairman Kim retired from frontline management in 2019, marking the company's 50th anniversary.
Through Chairman Kim’s promotion, Dongwon Group plans to respond swiftly to the rapidly changing external environment with prompt decision-making and bold investments, accelerate innovation for the future, and establish a sustainable growth structure.
Chairman Kim graduated from Korea University with a degree in Sociology and joined Dongwon Industries as a sales representative in 1998. He then gained management experience across various affiliates, serving as head of the marketing strategy team at Dongwon F&B, head of management support at Dongwon Industries, head of management support at Dongwon Systems, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Starkist in the United States, and vice president of Dongwon Enterprise (currently the holding division of Dongwon Industries).
Since his promotion to vice chairman in 2014, he has led over ten mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and technology investments, establishing the four major business value chains spanning fisheries, food, materials, and logistics. Under his leadership, the group’s investment in discovering future growth engines has reached approximately 1.3 trillion won over the past four years.
In 2015, Dongwon Group expanded its food business from seafood to livestock distribution by acquiring the online livestock wholesale mall 'Geumcheon.' In 2021, it acquired MKC, a cylindrical battery can manufacturer, expanding into secondary battery packaging and making a full-fledged leap as an advanced materials company. Additionally, in 2017, it acquired comprehensive logistics company Dongbu Express to expand its logistics business, and plans to open Korea’s first automated port at Busan New Port early next month, aiming to become a 'Global Terminal Operator (GTO).'
Chairman Kim said, "I will inherit the achievements and management philosophy of Honorary Chairman Kim Jae-cheol, who has led Dongwon Group for the past 50 years, and discover future growth engines through bold investments. We will build a company loved and trusted not only by customers but also by employees, affiliates, shareholders, and all stakeholders."
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