Korean economic experts have chosen Hyundai group founder and honorary chairman Chung Ju-yung as the nation's best entrepreneur. Jung was selected as the nation's top businessman in a survey conducted by the Monthly Chosun (a sister firm of Digital Chosun) of 109 professors, politicians, journalists, government officials, researchers and bank executives specializing in economics. Yuhan Yanghaeng founder Yu Il-han and Samsung group founder Lee Byung-chul were chosen as the most honorable among Korea's conglomerate heads. All of the above three are business legends who played major roles in the industrialization of Korea during the post-war years.
Asked to choose the 10 best active business managers, respondents gave the most votes to Chung Ju-yung, who garnered 77 points. He was followed by Chung Moon-sul, the president of Mirae Industries, with 48 points; SK chair Sohn Gil-sung (47 points), Medison chair Lee Min-hwa (40) and Daewoo head Kim Woo-choong (32). Microsoft's Bill Gates was chosen as the most respected foreign businessman, followed General Electric's Jack Welch and Japan's Konosuke Matsushita.
(Kim Byung-suk, bskim@chosun.com)
