Summary
Koo Tae-hwoi, Honorary Chairman of LS Cable & System, was one of the three founding members of LS Group, a South Korean conglomerate that operates electrics, materials and energy businesses. LS Group was spun off from LG Group, the fourth largest conglomerate in Korea, in 2003.
Koo Tae-hwoi is the fourth brother of LG Group founder Koo In-hwoi. Born in Jinyang, Gyeongnam province in 1923, he graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in political science and joined Lak Hui (Lucky) Chemical Co., Ltd. (now LG Chem) in 1950.
He is credited for developing what was then called an “unbreakable cream jar lid,” a cosmetics lid made of plastic, which became the foundation for LG’s plastics business.
He was also one of the few members of the LG clan that actively participated in politics. He entered politics in 1958 and served six terms as a member of the National Assembly. In the mid-1970s, he was vice chairman of the National Assembly. He retired from politics in 1984 and returned to LG Group as an advisor.
Together with his two younger brothers, Koo formed LS Group in November 2003, when the company separated from LG Group. As the eldest of the three founders, he took center role in management. He passed away on May 7, 2016, at the age of 92.
Timeline
▲ 1923 = Born.
▲ 1950 = Graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Political Science.
▲ 1958-1960 = Served as the 4th term Member of the National Assembly (Liberal Party).
▲ 1962 = Vice President of Goldstar Co. (now LG Electronics).
▲ 1963–1972 = Served as the 6th, 7th, and 8th term Member of the National Assembly (Democratic Republican Party).
▲ 1964 = Served as the Whip and Spokesperson for the Democratic Republican Party.
▲ 1965 = Vice Chairman of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Republican Party.
▲ 1969 = Chairman of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.
▲ 1971 = Chairman of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Republican Party.
▲ 1973–1979 = Served as the 9th term Member of the National Assembly (Democratic Republican Party).
▲ 1973 = Vice Chairman of the Policy Committee and Director of the Policy Research Office for the Democratic Republican Party.
▲ 1973–1975 = Served as a Minister without Portfolio.
▲ 1976 = Vice Speaker of the National Assembly.
▲ 1979–1980 = Served as the 10th term Member of the National Assembly (Democratic Republican Party).
▲ 1979 = Chairman of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Republican Party.
▲ 1982 = Advisor to Lucky-Goldstar Group (now LG Group).
▲ 1995 = Founding Advisor of LG Group.
