Chairman Yoon Sang-gu Elected as Rotary International World President "Will Elevate Korea's Status"

The Second Korean World President Ever Elected
1.4 Million Members Active in International Civil Volunteer Organization

The Korea Rotary Centennial Association announced on the 19th that President Yoon Sang-gu (photo) has been appointed as the International Rotary World President for 2026-2027 (the president-elect). He is the second Korean world president following Vice President Lee Dong-geon. After being elected as the world president nominee on the 12th of last month, President Yoon officially began his activities as the president-elect on the 15th of this month.

Yoon Sang-gu, the president-elect and eldest son of former President Yoon Bo-sun, holds bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from Syracuse University in New York and an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. President Yoon is the founder and CEO of Dongseo Corporation, a construction materials and engineering company. He received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II and the Friendship and Cooperation Medal from the President of Mongolia. He has also been awarded the Presidential Citation of the Republic of Korea, the Prime Minister's Citation, and the Rotary Foundation Special Service Award.

President Yoon began his Rotary activities in 1987 as a founding member of the Saehanyang Rotary Club. Since 2004, he has served as co-chairman of the "Greening Mongolia" project, which has planted approximately 350,000 windbreak trees in the Gobi Desert to prevent yellow dust. He has held positions such as International Rotary Director, Rotary Foundation Director and Vice Chair, Chair of the Host Organizing Committee for the 2016 Seoul Rotary World Convention, and currently serves as the President of the Korea Rotary Centennial Association.

Yoon Sang-gu, the president-elect, stated, "I will continue to carry out service activities for those in need around the world," adding, "Together with about 70,000 Rotary members in Korea and the public, we will practice service and sharing to enhance Korea's status as an advanced service nation."

Korea Rotary is actively engaged in various activities. In the last fiscal year (July 1, 2023 ? June 30, 2024), it raised over 28.1 billion KRW, ranking 4th worldwide in international Rotary service donations after the United States, India, and Taiwan. Additionally, over the past three years, it has raised an average of more than 31.1 billion KRW annually, actively participating in donations and service, and focusing on helping vulnerable and marginalized communities in need.

Korea Rotary conducts projects exceeding 10 million USD annually to support marginalized people worldwide. In the past three years, it has established 106 new endowed funds. The Arch Klumph Society (AKS), whose members have donated a cumulative amount of 250,000 USD (approximately 332 million KRW), has 1,584 members worldwide, including 148 Koreans (as of July). Korea Rotary will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027 and is preparing various events aiming to reach 100,000 members.

Rotary is an international private service organization with 1.4 million members active in over 200 countries worldwide. It originated from the "Chicago Rotary Club," first established in 1905 in Chicago, USA, by young lawyer Paul Harris and three friends.