Woong yeul Lee
Woong yeul Lee, was born in Seoul as the only son of Dong-chan Lee, honorary chairman of the Kolon Group – Kolon, an abbreviation of 'Korea Nylon,' was built from scratch by Lee's grandfather, Won-man Lee, introducing Nylon to the Korean market as well as setting up the first nylon manufacturer in the late 1950's. Since then, Kolon Group has diversified its business in the industries of electronics, distribution, construction, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals to name a few.
Lee has majored in business at Korea University and earned an MBA at George Washington University and has built his career since 1977 when he first joined the Kolon Group. He has worked in international branches such as Tokyo and New York and with his many accomplishments, he has been appointed as the group's head.
Soon after his succession, he has faced the foreign exchange crisis but managed to survive the catastrophic economic crisis by restructuring the corporate by unburdening more than 10 subsidiaries and more. In 2019, with decades of successful business by his leadership, Lee has decided to step down at a "relatively early-age" from his chairman position to start a new venture of his own.