The Hanjin Group () is a South Korean
chaebol
A chaebol (, ; ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group whose power over the group often exc ...
. The group has various industries covered from transportation and airlines to hotels, tourism, and airport businesses, and one of the largest chaebols in Korea. The group includes
Korean Air (KAL), which was acquired by the founder Cho Choong-hoon in 1969, and was the owner of
Hanjin Shipping (once the largest shipping company in Korea) before its bankruptcy. In 2013, Hanjin Group officially switched from
cross ownership to a holding company structure with the establishment of Hanjin KAL Corporation. The group is controlled by descendants of Cho Choong-hoon, and many construction chaebols are the major shareholders of Hanjin KAL.
History
Hanjin started at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, in November 1945. Early on, its biggest customer was the
U.S. Army, providing the transportation of material to both Korea and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
. The company signed a major contract with the
US 8th Army
The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which is the commanding formation of all United States Army forces in South Korea. It commands U.S. and South Korean units and is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys,[Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...]
, and
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
. In November 1969, Hanjin made its entry into the containerized shipping business signing a deal with
Sea-Land Service, Inc. In September 1970, the company opened its first container yard at the port of
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...
.
The late 1970s saw a major push into the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
with contracts signed to
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
at the port of Shuwaik (September 1977),
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
at the port of
Dammam
Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...
(March 1979), and at the port of Jeddah (May 1980).
In March 1990, Hanjin branched out into trucking and warehousing with the purchase of Korea Freight Transport Company. In June 1992, Hanjin Express was introduced to deliver small packages and provide courier service. The company started to load and unload cargo at the ports of
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporat ...
and
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
with the joint venture Total Terminals International LLC., in August 1992. In January 1993, they initiated container rail service between Pusan and
Uiwang. In May 1995, Hanjin hauled grain to
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
Hanjin-Senator
Hanjin-Senator was achieved by combining the container fleets of Hanjin Shipping and Senator Lines, making Hanjin-Senator the eighth largest container shipping company in the world. Hanjin was Senator's majority shareholder; the two companies are ...
once was the seventh largest
container
A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping.
Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...
transportation and shipping company in the world (operations ceased February 2009).
After Hanjin's founder, Cho Choong-hoon, died in 2002, his eldest son, Cho Yang-ho, inherited KAL, when his third son, Cho Soo-ho, was handed Hanjin Shipping.
Cho Soo-ho died from lung cancer in 2006 and his widow, Choi Eun-young, became the chairwoman of Hanjin Shipping in the following year.
[ KAL acquired 33.2 percent of Hanjin Shipping in June 2014.][
On 31 August 2016, Hanjin Shipping filed for bankruptcy. Hanjin Shipping's creditors withdrew their support after deeming a funding plan by parent company Hanjin inadequate.]
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Listed subsidiaries
* Korean Air Co., LTD (KRX : 003490)
* Hanjin Transportation Co., LTD (KRX : 005430)
* Korea Airport Service Co., LTD (KRX : 002320)
* Jin Air Co., LTD (KRX : 272450)
Other subsidiaries
* JungSeok Enterprise Co., Ltd
* Hanjin Travel Service Co., Ltd
* Hanjin Transportation
The Hanjin Group () is a South Korean chaebol. The group has various industries covered from transportation and airlines to hotels, tourism, and airport businesses, and one of the largest chaebols in Korea. The group includes Korean Air (KAL ...
Co., Ltd
* Hanjin Information Systems & Telecommunication Co., Ltd (HIST)
* Total Passenger Service System Co., Ltd
* KAL Hotel Network Co., Ltd
* Air Total Service Co., Ltd
* CyberSky Co., Ltd
* Global Logistics System Korea Co., Ltd
* Homeo Therapy
* Jungseok-Inha School's Foundation
* Korea Aerospace University
Korea Aerospace University (한국항공대학교 (Traditional Chinese: 韓國航空大學校) an'guk Hang-gong Dae-hak-gyo is a private university located in Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
History
Beginnings (1950s–1960s)
Korea Aer ...
* Jungseok Education Foundation
* Il Woo Foundation
* Uniconverse Co., Ltd
See also
* List of largest companies of South Korea
References
External links
Hanjin website
Hanjin website
{{Authority control
Chaebol
Companies based in Seoul
Multinational companies headquartered in South Korea
Transport companies established in 1945
1945 establishments in Korea
South Korean brands
SkyTeam