Korean Mid-sized CEOs Born in the Year of the Horse Lead Innovation and Global Push
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Five South Korean mid-sized company CEOs born in the Year of the Horse are driving innovation and gearing up for global expansion in 2026. Lee Su-jin, CEO of Yanolja, built the “Nol Universe” and launched a global platform called “Nol World” (놀 월드), attracting 1.66 million foreign users over five years and rapidly increasing transaction volume. Yanolja reorganized its leadership to strengthen global OTA (online travel agency) competitiveness. Kim Jin-sung, now leading YogiYettae Tour (여기어때투어), is pursuing ‘OnlineTour 2.0’ with IT upgrades to boost outbound travel. Kim Jun-sik of Daedong is advancing “future agriculture” with precision farming trials, autonomous agricultural robots, and high-performance tractors for export, planning AI and robotics transformation group-wide. Yoon Jong-hyo of Sealy Korea grew sales dramatically and is building a major production plant in Yeoju to produce and export premium mattresses across Asia. Lee Kyung-su of Ceragem, after winning multiple CES 2026 innovation awards, will expand ‘‘wellness home’’ AI-based products globally. Together these CEOs are pushing digital, robotic, and global strategies beyond Korea.
