Summary
The leadership of LS Group changes every nine years under its “cousin management” system. After LS Group split from LG Group, Koo Ja-hong, the eldest son of the late honorary chairman Koo Tae-hwoi, served as the first chairman from 2004 to 2012. Koo Ja-yeol, the eldest son of the late honorary chairman Koo Pyong-hwoi, served as the second chairman from 2013 to 2021. Chairman Koo Ja-eun, who was elected in November 2021 and began his term in early 2022, is the eldest son of the late honorary chairman Koo Doo-hwoi.
Koo Ja-hong, Chairman of LS Nikko Copper (currently LS MnM), is the eldest son of Koo Tae-hwoi, Honorary Chairman of LS Cable & System. He graduated from Kyunggi High School in Seoul and majored in economics at Princeton University in the United States. He joined Bando Trading Company (currently LX International, formerly LG International) in 1973. After serving as the head of the Hong Kong branch, he held positions including President and Vice Chairman of LG Electronics, contributing to global growth and labor-management harmony.
After stepping down as Chairman of LG Electronics in 2003, Koo Ja-hong took on the role of the first Chairman of LS Group from 2004, laying the foundation and leading the growth of the group. Through active mergers and acquisitions (M&A), international expansion, and strengthening of research and development, he grew LS Group to be the 13th largest conglomerate. After leading LS Group for nine years, in 2013, he handed over the chairmanship to Koo Ja-yeol, his cousin and the eldest son of Honorary Chairman Koo Pyong-hwoi. He then moved to the position of Chairman of LS Future Vision, and from 2015, he served as the Chairman of LS Nikko Copper. He passed away on the morning of Feb. 11, 2022, due to a chronic illness.
Timeline
▲ December 11, 1946 = Born in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.
▲ 1965= Graduated from Kyunggi High School.
▲ 1973 = Graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Economics.
▲ 1973 = Joined Bando Trading Company’s Import Department.
▲ 1995 = President and CEO of LG Electronics Inc.
▲ 2002 = Chairman and CEO of LG Electronics Inc.
▲ 2004 = Chairman of LS Cable & System, Chairman of the Board of LS Industrial Systems.
▲ 2008 = Chairman and CEO of LS Corp., Chairman of the Board.
▲ 2013 = Chairman of LS Future Vision and Board of LS Industrial Systems.
▲ 2015 = Chairman of Nikko Copper.
▲ 2015 = Chairman of the Korea Non-Ferrous Metals Association.
▲ February 11, 2022 = Passed away at the age of 75.
