Analysis of 413 Business Executives` Personal Histories

Distribution of Schools business executives graduate from 〓 Gyeonggi High School chalked up 12.3% with its 51 alumni among CEOs. Seoul high school followed with its 26 graduates. Numbef of Gyeonbok High School alumni recorded 23. Gyeongnam High School has 20 alumni, Busan High School produced 15 graduates, Gyeongbuk High School had 14 alumni, Jonju High School has 14 alumni, Gyeongdong High School has 11 graduates, Boseung High School has 11 alumni and Jinju High School has 10 alumni.

Gyangjooil High School, Gyesung High School, Joongang High School, The High School Attached to the Teachers` College of Gyeonbook University, Namsung High School, Gwangjoo High School, Baejae High School produced more than five CEO-level executives.

Among them, 179 peoples graduated from Seoul National University(SNU). 48 executives graduated from Yonsei Univ, 44 was from Korea Univ., 25 was from Hanyang Univ., 17 was from Sungkyunkwan Univ., 14 was from Busan Univ., 10 was from Hankook University of Foreign Studies. Number of CEOs who graduated both Gyeonggi High School and Seoul National University recorded 44.

CEOs, who are families of their companies` owners, are 68. Among them, number of alumni of Gyeonggi High School toped with its 12 graduates including Gu Ja-hong, Vice President of LG Electronics. Gyeongbuk High School followed it with its 10 alumni including Cho Yang-ho, President of Korean Air. Shinil High School chalked up the third with its four alumni including Choi Tae-won, President of SK.

Among families of companies` owners, 12 graduated from Korea Univ, recording the highest number, 10 graduated from Seoul National Univ., and 8 graduated from Yonsei Univ.. 15 and 6 received their bachelor degrees from universities in United States and Japan.

▽ Distribution of majors in University; 185, which is 44.8% of all CEOs, majored business related studies such as business administration, economics and trade.

29.8% of them majored engineering, 8.0% majored laws, 4.8% studied political and cultural science, 3.6% majored languages and 2.2% majored public administration. Among engineering majored graduates, chemical engineering(including chemistry) majored people topped with its 36 graduates.

Significant characteristic of the distributions is that the younger they are, the more they are likely to have majored business related studies. Under 40s, 48.5% majored business related studies. Among 50s, 46.1% and above 60s, 38.8% majored business related studies.

Ratio of engineering majored graduates by age is 21.2% under 40s, 30.8% in 50s and 29.4% above 60.

Most CEOs graduated from economics department, Seoul National University.(31 persons). Among families of owners, graduates who majored business related studies recorded 48.5%, that is, business administration 16, economics 10, commercial science 5, trade 2.

▽ Distribution of them by age, sex and hometown; Average age of the CEOs was 56. Ratio of distribution by age is that 30s is 0.2%, 40s was 7.8%, 50s was 71.4%, 60s was 19.9% and 70s was 0.7%.

Average age of major companies, which are Samsung, LG, SK, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai, Hyundai Heavy Industry, ranged from 55.5 to 56.6 almost the same as the average of the total executives. But age of the Hanjin and Lotte CEOs recorded about 60s, average age of Doosan management was 59, Keumho and Hanwha CEOs` average age was about 58, a little bit higher than the average of the total.

In terms of family names, the Lee recorded 18.4%, having 0.2% more than the Kim. It is noteworthy taking the fact that demographics of Korea shows more Kims (21.9%) than Lees (14.9%).

Ratio of their hometown distributions was Seoul 30.0%, Busan, Ulsan, Gyeonnam 18.6%, Daegu, Gyeongbuk 15.3%, Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk 13.6%, Daejeon, Chungnam, Chungbuk 11.1%, Incheon, Gyeonggi 6.8%, Gangwon 2.7%, North Korea 1.2% and Jeju 0.7%.

Other than Seoul and metropolitans, four cities succeeded in upbringing more than five CEOs. They are Jeonju, Jeonbuk (8), Gimje, Jeonbuk (6), Jinju, Gyeongnam (5). Uryung, Gyeonam, in particular, produced six CEOs although it is administratively a county.