Chung Mong-won ( ko, 정몽원, born 4 August 1955) is a South Korean ice hockey administrator and businessman. He has served as
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
of both
Halla Group and
Mando Corporation
The Mando Corporation ( ko, 만도)(KRX:204320), with headquarters in Seoul, Korea, is the largest global Tier 1 Korean Original Equipment Manufacturer and supplier to General Motors, Cadillac, Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Nissan, Kia Motors Co ...
, founded the
Anyang Halla hockey team in 1994, and co-founded
Asia League Ice Hockey in 2003. He became involved in international ice hockey as manager of the
South Korea men's national ice hockey team
The South Korean national ice hockey team ( ko, 대한민국 아이스하키 국가대표팀) is the national men's ice hockey team of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). They are currently ranked 19th in the IIHF World Rankings and competed in ...
in 2003, then became chairman of the
Korea Ice Hockey Association
The Korea Ice Hockey Association ( ko, 대한아이스하키협회) is the governing body and member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that oversees ice hockey in South Korea.
XXIII Olympic Winter Games
The Korean Ice Hockey Asso ...
in 2013, and implemented a development plan for the men's national team and the
South Korea women's national ice hockey team in advance of
ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics
The ice hockey (hockey) competitions of the 2018 Winter Olympics were played at two venues within the Gangneung Coastal Cluster in Gangneung, South Korea. The Gangneung Hockey Centre, which seats 10,000, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre, which se ...
hosted in South Korea. Under his leadership, the men's national team earned promotion to the top tier at the
2018 IIHF World Championship
The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning, held from 4–20 May 2018. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. South Korea made ...
, and the women's national team played in the
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...
on a
Unified Korea team with
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
. The
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...
(IIHF) has named Chung to its 2020
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...
group of inductees.
Early life and education
Chung was born on 4 August 1955, in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
, South Korea.
He is the second son of Chung In-young, who founded
Halla Group.
Chung graduated from
Seoul High School in 1974, earned a
Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...
degree from
Korea University in 1979, and a
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...
degree from the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
in 1982.
Business career
Chung joined the Halla Group in 1978, employed in shipping.
He later joined
Hyundai Corporation
Hyundai Corporation () is a South Korean company founded in 1976 as part of the Hyundai '' chaebol''.
It is a general trading company providing export and import services with a wide variety of products including marine vessels, industrial plan ...
as a manager,
then became executive director of
Mando Corporation
The Mando Corporation ( ko, 만도)(KRX:204320), with headquarters in Seoul, Korea, is the largest global Tier 1 Korean Original Equipment Manufacturer and supplier to General Motors, Cadillac, Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Nissan, Kia Motors Co ...
Machinery in 1983.
He became president and
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
of Halla Climate Control in 1986, president of Mando Corporation Machinery in 1989, then president and chief executive officer of Halla in 1991. He served as vice-chairman of Halla Group starting in 1992, then became its chairman in 1997.
Due to the
1997 Asian financial crisis, he disbanded the group in 1998.
Halla Group was reformed in 2001, with Chung as its chairman and chief executive officer.
In 2017, he purchased Mando and transformed it into a holding company, then became its chairman and chief executive officer.
Professional hockey team owner
Chung became involved in
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
in 1994, after his employees asked to form a team.
He financed the foundation of a professional hockey team in 1994 known as Mando Winia, which later became Halla Winia and then
Anyang Halla. He was a co-founder of the
Asia League Ice Hockey in 2003, which included teams from China, Japan, and the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...
, in addition to Korea. As of 2020, Anyang Halla have won five Asia League Ice Hockey championships, won the most regular-season games, and regularly sends players to represent Korea in international competitions.
Chung was a franchise owner of
Kiekko-Vantaa
Kiekko-Vantaa is an ice hockey team from Vantaa, Finland, playing in the Mestis league. It plays its home games in Trio Areena. Kiekko-Vantaa has been in Mestis since the league started in 2000 and have been in the finals twice, losing both times ...
from 2012 to 2015, as a subsidiary of Halla Group.
Korean international ice hockey
Chung served as manager of the
South Korea men's national ice hockey team
The South Korean national ice hockey team ( ko, 대한민국 아이스하키 국가대표팀) is the national men's ice hockey team of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). They are currently ranked 19th in the IIHF World Rankings and competed in ...
for seven
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...
between 2003 and 2016.
He became vice-president of the
Korea Ice Hockey Association
The Korea Ice Hockey Association ( ko, 대한아이스하키협회) is the governing body and member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that oversees ice hockey in South Korea.
XXIII Olympic Winter Games
The Korean Ice Hockey Asso ...
in 2010, then was elected its president in 2013.
The national team earned several promotions during his tenure, which included winning Division II three times in
2003,
2007, and
2009, then winning Division 1 in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
and again in
2015.
In 2015, Chung signed an agreement with
DHL for logistics support, which meant that players and team staff no longer had to transport equipment themselves. He served as manager of the South Korea under-18 men's national ice hockey team manager during competitions in 2017 and 2018.
After
Pyeongchang County
Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in the province of Gangwon Province, South Korea, Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Budd ...
was named host of the
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...
, Chung set out to improve South Korea's standing in the world ice rankings to ensure its participation in
ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics
The ice hockey (hockey) competitions of the 2018 Winter Olympics were played at two venues within the Gangneung Coastal Cluster in Gangneung, South Korea. The Gangneung Hockey Centre, which seats 10,000, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre, which se ...
. He hired
Sarah Murray to coach the
South Korea women's national ice hockey team, and brought in
Jim Paek
Jim Paek ( ko, 백지선, Baek Chi-sun, born April 7, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who is currently the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association and head coach of the South Korean national team. Paek ...
and
Richard Park who both had playing experience in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
to coach the men's national team.
The men's team placed second in
2017 IIHF World Championship Division I to earn promotion to the top tier at the
2018 IIHF World Championship
The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning, held from 4–20 May 2018. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. South Korea made ...
.
The women's team played together on a
Unified Korea team including athletes from
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, a first for the
two Koreas at the Olympic Games.
Chung has stated a desire for the
Gangneung Hockey Centre
Gangneung Hockey Centre ( ko, 강릉 아이스하키 경기장) is an indoor arena located in the coastal city of Gangneung, South Korea. The arena was one of the two venues for the ice hockey events at the 2018 Winter Olympics, serving as the mai ...
to become the focus of ice hockey in Korea, and to leave an Olympic Games legacy. He said, "My dream is to turn Gangneung into a hockey town. I hope to see the day when people think of Gangneung, they'll think of hockey".
In 2019, the Korea Ice Hockey Association voted to run its national development programs in Gangneung.
Awards and honours
On 18 April 2019, Chung was named as the honorary consul of the Republic of
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
to South Korea, based at the Sigma Tower in Jamsil, Seoul. He was named by the
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...
(IIHF) to the builder's category in the 2020 class of
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...
inductees.
The induction was scheduled the
2020 IIHF World Championship in
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
, but was delayed until the
2022 IIHF World Championship
The 2022 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Finland from 13 to 29 May 2022, as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on 19 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany. The host cities of the World Championships were Tampere and Helsi ...
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Personal life
Chung met his wife, Hong In-hwa on a blind date at a church, and the couple have two daughters. He is an elder of the
Korean Methodist Church The Korean Methodist Church is a large Methodist denomination in South Korea, with approximately 1.5 million members. Methodist missionaries came from the United States in the late 19th century. It became independent in 1930, and celebrated its cent ...
.
Family
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chung, Mong-won
1955 births
Living people
20th-century South Korean businesspeople
21st-century South Korean businesspeople
Asia League Ice Hockey
Chief executives in the automobile industry
Chief executives in the sports industry
Honorary consuls
Hyundai Group
IIHF Hall of Fame inductees
Korea University alumni
Seoul High School alumni
South Korean chief executives
South Korean ice hockey people
South Korean Methodists
South Korean sports executives and administrators
Sportspeople from Seoul
University of Southern California alumni