Koo Bon-moo (Korean: 구본무; 10 February 1945 – 20 May 2018) was a South Korean business executive, who gained worldwide fame as the renamer and business executive of the LG Group.
Koo Bon-moo | |
|---|---|
| 구본무 | |
 Koo in 2013 | |
| Born | 10 February 1945 |
| Died | 20 May 2018 (aged 73) Seoul, South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Alma mater | Yonsei University Ashland University Cleveland State University |
| Years active | 1974–2016 |
| Title | Chairman of LG Group (1995–2018) |
| Predecessor | Koo Cha-kyung (father) (1925–2019) |
| Successor | Koo Kwang-mo (son) |
Early life
editBorn on 10 February 1945 in Jinju, Keishōnan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea),[1][2] Koo enrolled at Yonsei University.[3][4] He moved to Ohio and completed his bachelor's and master's degrees at Ashland University and Cleveland State University, respectively.[2][4]
Business career
editUpon graduation from Cleveland State University, Koo returned to South Korea in 1975 and began working for Lucky Chemical, which later became LG Chem. He was transferred to GoldStar in 1980, and from 1983 to 1985, headed the company's Tokyo office.[3] In 1995, Koo succeeded his father Koo Cha-kyung, the oldest son of LG's founder Koo In-hwoi[4] as chairman of LG Group because of the Koo family's “male-only succession rule".[5] Koo Bon-moo adopted his nephew Koo Kwang-mo in 2004, after losing his only son in 1994.[6] Starting in 2017, Koo Bon-moo sought continual treatment for a brain tumor. He eventually ended medical treatment, and died in Seoul on 20 May 2018, aged 73.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ "Koo Bon-moo". The Investor. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ a b "LG Group leader puts talent first". Korea JoongAng Daily. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Koo Bon-moo brought LG into 21st century". Korea JoongAng Daily. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ a b c Song, Su-hyun (20 May 2018). "Koo Bon-moo, chairman of LG Group, dies at 73". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ Ji-yoon, Lee (10 July 2018). "LG's Koo Bon-joon prepares to depart". The Investor. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ Kim, Hooyeon; Park, Kyunghee (20 May 2018). "LG Chair Koo Bon-Moo Dies, Leaves Company to Adopted Son". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "LG Chairman Koo Bon-moo dies". The Korea Times. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ Chung, Jane; Park, Ju-min (20 May 2018). "South Korea's LG Group chairman dies from illness at 73". Reuters. Retrieved 20 May 2018.