Yang Ho Cho

Yang Ho Cho, president and chief executive officer of Korean Air and vice chairman of the Hanjin Group, the airline’s parent conglomerate, has been elected to the board of trustees.

President Steven B. Sample recently announced election of Cho, a USC alumnus, saying: “The investments and training that Korean Air and the Hanjin Group are making in numerous Asian economies are contributing substantially to the economic growth and integration of the dynamic Pacific Rim marketplace.

“As a leader of Korean Air and the Hanjin Group, Dr. Cho has made a major impact on the business environment throughout the Pacific Rim. He brings a great deal of knowledge and a fresh perspective to our board. We look forward to receiving his advice and counsel as the university continues to develop as a major international center of academic excellence.”

Sample noted that Korean Air’s revenue in 1995 was about $4.5 billion and the Hanjin Group’s consolidated revenue exceeded $12 billion. Korean Air carried 21.4 million passengers to 67 international and 14 domestic destinations that year. It also carried 4.3 billion tons of cargo, making Korean Air the world’s third-largest cargo airline.

By educating key members of the Cho family management team, USC has helped make the Hanjin Group the globally integrated logistics giant it is today. Cho’s brothers, Soo Ho and Jung Ho, earned B.A. degrees at USC’s Marshall School of Business in 1979 and 1982, respectively; his sister, Hyunsuk Cho Lee, earned a master’s degree from the School of Education in 1978; and cousin Jin Ho Cho earned an MBA degree in the Marshall School’s International Business Education and Research (IBEAR) Program in 1990.

In turn, the Cho family has assisted USC by endowing scholarships for Korean-American students, supporting the development of USC’s Korean Heritage Library, and funding teaching and research in Korea by USC professors Richard Chase, Ravi Kumar and Alan Shapiro. Cho currently serves on the CEO advisory board of the Marshall School of Business

Cho, a resident of Seoul, has held the CEO post at Korean Air since 1992. He has also served as vice chairman of the Hanjin Group since February 1996; vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries since March 1996; chairman of the Korea-Canada Business Council since August 1993; and president of the Chongsok Enterprise Co. Ltd. since April 1984. His career with Korean Air began in 1974 as manager of the airline’s American Regional Office in Los Angeles.

Cho is deeply involved in education – as a trustee of Inha University, in Inchon, South Korea; as president of the Hankuk Aviation University; and as the creator of Korean Air’s Advanced Management Program.

After attending Cushing Academy, in Ashburnham, Mass., Cho earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering at Inha University in 1975; an MBA degree in the IBEAR Program at USC’s Marshall School of Business in 1979; and a doctorate in business administration from Inha University in 1988.

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