Welcome to Korean Air

Mr. Cho received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Inha University (Incheon, Korea) in 1975, an MBA from USC in 1979, and a doctoral degree in business administration from Inha University in 1988. He received honorary doctorate degrees in aviation business administration from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida in 1998 and from Ukraine National Aviation University in 2006.

Mr. Cho is also chairman of the Hanjin Group – one of the world’s largest transportation conglomerates. He was named to this post in February 2003 after having served as the Group’s vice chairman since 1996. He is also a director of various subsidiary companies including Hanjin Shipping, Korea Airport Service and HIST. In March of 2008, Mr. Cho was elected chairman of the board of directors of S-Oil, on which he has served since 2007 based on the shareholders’ agreement between Saudi Aramco and Korean Air.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Cho was elected vice-chairman of The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) in 1996 and holds the title of honorary consulate-general to Ireland in the Republic of Korea since 1995. He was named Chairman of the Korea-French High Level Businessmen’s Club in October 2000 and Chairman of the Korea-Saudi Arabia Business Council in May 2008. In June 2010, he was re-elected to the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the sixth time. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Korea Defense Industry Association since 2004. He was also one of the leading founding members of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance formed in year 2000 establishing a wider range of network.

Mr. Cho has been on the USC Board of Trustees since 1997, and is chairman of the board of trustees at Inha and Hankuk Aviation universities. He became the 20th Chairman of the Korea Table Tennis Association in July 2008, and also took place as the East Asia Regional Vice President of the Asia Table Tennis Union from November 2009. Also in July 2009, he became a member of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) and is currently chairman of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Bidding Committee. He was appointed as an official ambassador for the Peace and Sport Foundation, under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, in February 2010.

Always interested in supporting culture and heritage, he led the sponsorship of multimedia guide launchings including Korean-speaking guides at the Louvre, the British Museum, and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. He was also involved in registering Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes on the list of natural World Heritage of UNESCO

Mr. Cho’s commitment to serve the public with transportation has been widely recognized. In 2004, he received the title of “Commandeur” in the Legion D’Honneur, the highest civilian honor awarded in France. In 2005, Mr. Cho was awarded the title of Mongol’s Polaris, the highest civilian honor granted by the Mongolian government. Korea’s Academic Society of Business Administration awarded him with its CEO award in March 2009 for his contributions to Korean society and its economy. In April 2009, he was inducted to the TIACA (The International Air Cargo Association) Hall of Fame in recognition for his significant contribution to the development of the air cargo industry. He was awarded the Moran Medal, an Order of Civil merit by the Korean government, as an acknowledgment of his effort in cultivating the Korean aviation industry, especially leading Korean Air to become the number 1 commercial cargo carrier for 6 consecutive years since 2004.

Born at Incheon, Korea in March 1949, Mr. Cho is married, with one son, two daughters and two grandchildren.