Summary
Park Yong-kon, the eldest son of the first chairman, Park Too-pyung, was the first third-generation executive of the founder’s family and served as the third and fifth chairman of Doosan Group. He became chairman of the group in 1981 and relocated the headquarters to Euljiro in 1983. In 1991, in response to a boycott movement triggered by the phenol leakage incident at Doosan Electronics, he initiated significant changes in the group, including reducing the proportion of its core food and beverage businesses, such as OB Brewery.
Park Yong-kon introduced innovative management practices, such as adopting an annual salary system and implementing large-scale team systems for the first time in a Korean company. In 1994, he provided employees with opportunities for backpacking trips in Europe, and in 1996, he initiated a biweekly Saturday off system. He also founded the OB Bears baseball team, reflecting his love for baseball.
Born on April 17, 1932, in Seoul as the eldest of six sons and one daughter of Park Too-pyung, he graduated from the University of Washington in the United States with a degree in business administration. He began his career in 1960 as a part of the 6th cohort of public recruitment at the Korea Industrial Bank, following his father’s principle that one should experience working elsewhere to understand the value of hard work and empathize with subordinates. He joined Oriental Brewery as a junior employee in 1963 and later served as representative of Hanyang Foods, Oriental Brewery, and Doosan Industrial.
In January 1951, he voluntarily enlisted in the Navy and participated in the Korean War as a communications soldier. He was involved in operations advancing to the sea off Cheongjin in North Hamgyong Province aboard a naval vessel and received a certificate of national merit in May 2014 for his service.
Timeline
▲ April 17, 1932 = Born in Seoul.
▲ June 25, 1950 = Participated in the Korean War.
▲ 1951 = Graduated from Kyungdong High School.
▲ 1959 = Graduated from the School of Business at the University of Washington.
▲ 1960 = Joined the Industrial Bank of Korea.
▲ 1963 = Joined Dongyang Beer (Oriental Brewery).
▲ 1966 = President and CEO of Hanyang Food.
▲ 1973 = Vice President of Dongyang Beer (Oriental Brewery).
▲ 1974 = President and CEO of Doosan Industry and Hapdong News Ageancy.
▲ 1978 = Chairman of Doosan Industry.
▲ 1981 = Chairman of Doosan Group.
▲ 1982 = Owner of the professional baseball team OB Bears.
▲ 1984 = Received the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit.
▲ 1987 = Received the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit.
▲ 1991 = Stepped back from frontline management.
▲ 1993 = Chairman of Doosan Group.
▲ 1996 = Honorary Chairman of Doosan Group.
▲ 2008 = Became a member of the foundation board of Chung-Ang University.
▲ March 3, 2019 = Passed away at the age of 86.
