2015 Van Fleet Award Honoree
DR. HO YOUN KIM
FOUNDER, KIM KOO FOUNDATION
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO
BINGGRAE CO., LTD
Ho Youn Kim is the founder of the Kim Koo Foundation, which he established in honor of Kim Koo (1876-1949), the Premier of the Korean Provisional Government and the Korean national, in all major polls, admired the most by fellow Koreans. He is Chairman and CEO of Binggrae Corporation Ltd., a major producer of food and beverages in Korea. He is also chairman of Adan Library, which stores one of the most extensive archives on early modern and modern Korean literature, including several pieces of Korean National Treasure. He is also chairman of the Republic of Korea Air Force History Foundation. Dr. Kim is former ROK National Assemblyman and member of the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Unification.
Dr. Kim transformed Binggrae into a model corporation with high profit rates and a high degree of financial stability. For his leadership, he was awarded the Order of the Silver Tower in 2011, CEO of the Year 2004 by the Korea Management Association, and the Order of Civil Merit by the Republic of Korea’s government. Binggrae products are sold widely beyond Korea’s borders, in the U.S., Canada, South America, China, Russia, and throughout Southeast Asia.
To better present Korean history and culture to an international body of students, scholars, and practitioners in the United States, the Kim Koo Foundation has established the following programs: Kim Koo Visiting Professorship (2004) and Kim Koo Forum on U.S.-Korea Relations at the Korea Institute, Harvard University (2005); Kim Koo Library at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University (2009); Kim Koo Chair in Korean Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (2012); and the Kim Koo Professional Series at The Korea Society. The Harvard Kim Koo Forum, a seminar series on Korea, peace and security in Northeast Asia, East Asian history and culture, has played an important role in advancing mutual understanding and knowledge between Korea and the U.S. Former speakers at the Forum include President Park Geun Hye, former President Kim Dae Jung, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and former U.S. Ambassadors to Seoul Stephen Bosworth, Thomas Hubbard, and Kathleen Stephens.
In 2014, Dr. Kim, a former officer of the Air Force, became the inaugural chairman of the ROK Air Force History Foundation, which sheds a new light on the history of cooperation between the ROK and U.S. air forces through hosting conferences and related programs. A recent conference featured former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force Ronald R. Fogleman and former Commander of the Seventh Air Force Stephen G. Wood.
Dr. Kim is Goodwill Ambassador of Habitat for Humanity Korea. Since 2001, he has participated each year with his family in volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity within Korea and overseas. Dr. Kim’s philanthropy extends widely to supporting food banks, Save the Children, orphanages, student scholarships, descendants of Korean independence fighters, the disabled, and retirement communities. He is an honorary board member of the Midwest Young Artists, the largest youth ensemble music program in the Midwest, and a member of the Asian Advisory Group of the Fletcher School, Tufts University.
Dr. Kim received his bachelor’s in management from Sogang University in 1979, master’s in economics from Hitotsubashi University in 1985, and doctorate in management from Sogang University in 2006. In recognition of his active involvement in and support for civil diplomacy, Dr. Kim was awarded the Order of Altan Gadas (Polar Star) from Mongolia, and I’ordre du Mérite Agricole from France, the highest awards given to foreign nationals by the respective governments.