Samyang Roundsquare CEO steps down, continues to lead global push
Vice Chair and CEO of Samyang Roundsquare Kim Jung-soo, known for revitalizing the company through the global success of the Buldak series, has officially stepped down from her position as CEO of the group's holding company, Samyang Roundsquare.
Samyang Roundsquare announced Monday that Kim had officially resigned from the CEO role with the holding company earlier this month.
Kim held the position for less than two years, having assumed the role in September 2023. She will continue to serve on the board of directors as an internal director, alongside her eldest son, Jeon Byung-woo, executive director at Samyang Foods. The company added that Kim will retain her role as CEO of Samyang Foods.
Jang Seok-hoon, who currently leads the management support division at Samyang Foods, has been appointed as the new CEO of Samyang Roundsquare.
Born in 1978, Jang holds a degree in economics from Seoul National University. As a certified public accountant, he has held multiple executive roles, including chief financial officer at Korean e-commerce firm WeMakePrice.
Since 2023, he has been heading Samyang Foods' management support division and serving as an internal director.
Industry observers expect Kim to concentrate on expanding global markets for key products like the Buldak series, while Jang will oversee groupwide management and financial operations at the holding company.
'This year marks a critical period for Samyang Foods, with the completion of its second factory in Miryang (in South Gyeongsang Province), the expansion of international business and ongoing customs challenges,' a Samyang Roundsquare official said. 'Kim is expected to focus on core business operations, while the appointment of CEO Jang signals a move toward a professionalized management structure as part of a broader effort to ensure sound corporate governance.'
Kim is the daughter-in-law of Jeon Jung-yoon, honorary chair and founder of Samyang Foods. She joined the company during the 1998 IMF crisis, was promoted to general manager in 2017 and has held the roles of committee chair for environmental, social and governance efforts and head of global sales since 2021.
Kim is widely credited with transforming Samyang Foods into a 1.34 trillion won ($945 million) export-driven powerhouse, based on outbound shipments last year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
Instructure's Canvas LMS Enters South Korea to Strengthen Universities' Global Competitiveness
SEOUL, South Korea, June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and creator of Canvas, one of the most used learning management systems worldwide, today announced its entry into the South Korean market. This expansion marks a significant milestone in the company's mission to empower educators and learners worldwide with a secure, scalable, and modern learning management system. The launch in South Korea is made possible through a strategic partnership with Linus, the authorized partner of Canvas in the country, with over 10 years of experience in the Korean education market. Through this collaboration, educational institutions across the country will gain access to Canvas' full suite of tools and services through locally based employees, localized marketing presence, and enhanced language capability. "With Canvas LMS, learners in South Korea will gain access to world-class, student-centered learning experiences that unlock personalized and self-paced education," said Harrison Kelly, Managing Director of Asia Pacific at Instructure. "More importantly, Canvas by Instructure empowers institutions to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world application, helping them deliver job-aligned content and credentials that prepare students for a rapidly evolving workforce. We're excited to bring all the fully featured LMS capabilities built in Canvas by Instructure to institutions in the country, supported by Linus's local expertise." Built to Scale, Secure by Design Unlike open-source LMS platforms that often rely on custom development and ongoing maintenance, Canvas by Instructure is engineered with a secure, enterprise-grade architecture that ensures long-term agility. With 99.9% annual uptime and hands-free updates, institutions can scale confidently while minimizing operational risks. Open Architecture for Seamless Integration Canvas is designed for extensibility. Through robust APIs and full support for Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards, it integrates effortlessly with leading edtech tools, enabling institutions to build flexible, personalized learning ecosystems. Reliability, Resilience, and Risk Management Canvas provides built-in business continuity features, including automatic updates, disaster recovery, vulnerability patching, and rigorous security protocols—all of which support a reliable and safe learning experience for students and faculty alike. AI That Empowers Educators Canvas is also at the forefront of AI innovation in education. With AI-powered tools that support learner engagement and predictive analytics to help identify at-risk students, Canvas enables educators to personalize learning at scale and enhance student outcomes. "It is a great honor for Linus to become Instructure's first authorized partner in Korea," said Nah Suk Gyu, CEO of Linus. "Through this strong partnership with Instructure, a global leader in education technology, we are now able to contribute to enhancing the global competitiveness of Korean educational institutions with the world-class Canvas LMS." Instructure powers the delivery of education globally and reimagines the technologies that turn teaching and learning into opportunities. Today, the Instructure ecosystem of products connects the dots for educators and institutions by improving educational experiences at every age, every stage and every transitional moment — across K-12, higher education and the workforce. We encourage you to discover more at
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
FKI promotes S. Korea's US investments at congressional charity baseball game in Washington
South Korea's Federation of Korean Industries said Thursday it has participated as a sponsor in an annual US congressional charity baseball event in Washington as part of efforts to promote Korean companies' investments in America. The FKI's sponsorship of the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity held Wednesday was aimed at fostering bilateral ties, as ongoing bilateral tariff negotiations are expected to accelerate amid the recent change in government in South Korea. During the event, the FKI aired promotional videos highlighting the achievements of Korean companies investing in the United States. The promotional content noted that since the first term of US President Donald Trump in 2016, Korean companies have invested over $160 billion in the US and created an estimated 830,000 jobs. FKI Chairman Ryu Jin attended the official reception for the event and emphasized Korea's investment contributions. He also promoted the country's competitiveness in promising sectors for bilateral cooperation, such as shipbuilding and energy. The federation said it plans to continue promoting Korean corporate activities in the US through local media and social media platforms. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
19 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Kospi soars to 3-year high on foreign buying, tech rally
Optimism builds as analysts forecast continued gains on policy, global tailwinds The South Korean benchmark Kospi broke through the 2,900-point threshold for the first time in over three years on Wednesday, marking a notable milestone as it extends its bullish rally. The Kospi reached as high as 2,904.21 during intraday trading, surpassing the 2,900 mark for the first time since it peaked at 2,902.79 on Jan. 18, 2022. The index opened at 2,887.32 and quickly gained in early trading, exceeding the 52-week high of 2,896.43 recorded on July 11 last year. The rally followed overnight gains on Wall Street, driven by growing expectations of improved trade conditions between the US and China. Hopes are rising that restrictions on semiconductor sales to China may be eased. After hitting its peak, the Kospi pared some gains, retreating to the 2,890-point range as of press time. At 2 p.m., it stood at 2,897.23, up 25.38 points or 0.88 percent from the previous session. The index has been on a six-day winning streak, which began a day before the country's presidential election on June 3. A massive influx of foreign capital has fueled the rally. Offshore investors purchased nearly 4 trillion won ($3 billion) worth of shares on the Kospi in June, extending the 1.16 trillion won net buying spree seen in May, according to Korea Exchange data. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, foreigners had net bought 72 billion won worth of shares, while institutional investors purchased 146 billion won. Retail investors, meanwhile, sold off 198 billion won, likely to lock in profits. Market heavyweight stocks showed strong performances with tech giants leading the game, tracking the rally in US chip stocks. Blue-chip shares Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were up 0.93 percent and 4.12 percent, respectively, as of 2 p.m. On the back of expectations for a de-escalation in the trade war, shares of LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Motor and Kia were also traded higher, while Hanwha Solution stocks surged by 18 percent as of press time. In an attempt to support the rally, President Lee Jae-myung visited the headquarters of the Korea Exchange in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Wednesday, where he held a meeting to discuss measures to prevent unfair trading. During the election campaign, Lee pledged to usher in a 'Kospi 5,000 era' by strengthening minority shareholder protections. Amid the continuing upward momentum of the Kospi, local brokerage firms are upping their outlooks. KB Securities, for instance, raised its 12-month target for the Kospi to 3,240 points by the first half of 2026. 'Although tariff risks are expected to continue through the third quarter, along with an increased possibility of a recession if the threats materialize into actual impositions, the Korean stock market is likely to demonstrate relatively strong resilience, supported by a weakening dollar, domestic stimulus measures and ongoing capital market reforms,' analyst Lee Eun-taek said. 'By the fourth quarter, trade tensions could enter a phase of resolution, leading to a rise in risk appetite and revitalized investment activity,' Lee added. With the rally of the stock market, the secondary bourse Kosdaq stood at 786.09 as of 2 p.m., up 14.89 points or 1.93 percent. The Korean won was quoted at 1,369.57 per dollar as of 2 p.m., losing value by roughly 5 won from the previous daytime trading.
