Founder of the Hyosung Group; pen name Manu
| Life | 1906 ~ 1984 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 함안 조씨 |
Jo Hong-je (趙洪濟, 1906-1984) was the founder of the Hyosung Group, of the Haman Jo clan, with the pen name Manu. He was born in Dongchon-ri, Gunbuk-myeon, Haman County, South Gyeongsang; his father was Jo Yong-don, his mother An Bu-bong and his grandfather Jo Jung-gyu (1861-1942). He was taught by his grandfather in boyhood and took his great-uncle as teacher until 17. He belongs to the 29th generation of the Je (濟) names.
He entered Joongang High School in 1922 but in 1926 was prosecuted and imprisoned as one of the ringleaders of the June 10 independence demonstration. He later studied in Japan, entering the economics department of Hosei University in 1929 and returning after graduating in 1935. In 1940 he was elected head of the Gunbuk credit union.
In 1948 he invested jointly with Lee Byung-chul in Samsung Mulsan Gongsa and was a partner for about fifteen years; in 1962 he ended the relationship and struck out on his own, founding Hyosung Mulsan that September. In 1966 he established Dongyang Nylon, producing nylon yarn, and expanded through the acquisition of Hankook Tire and Daejeon Leather and the founding of Dongyang Polyester and Dongyang Yeomgong, building Hyosung into one of the country's five largest groups by the mid-1970s. He received Korea University's top manager prize in 1971, the Tower Order of Industrial Merit (Bronze) in 1975 and the Gold Tower Order in 1976, and died in 1984.
Jo Hong-je is known as the man who founded Samsung Mulsan Gongsa together with Lee Byung-chul. Wikipedia gives a joint 1948 founding, while the information box on the Samsung Group gives 1938, so the dating is not consistent. One article says the two attended the same elementary school and were related by marriage. The reason the partnership ended in 1962 is explained as a difference of views, but accounts vary, and this page does not assert it as fact.
His sons Jo Seok-rae, Jo Yang-rae and Jo Uk-rae led the Hyosung Group, Hankook Tire Group and DSDL Group respectively. His grandsons Jo Hyeon-jun, Jo Hyeon-mun, Jo Hyeon-sang, Jo Hyeon-sik and Jo Hyeon-beom are also introduced as involved in managing Hyosung and Hankook Tire affiliates. His wife was Ha Jeong-ok (1906-1978), from a family of large landowners in Jinju. Succession and management questions are not covered here.
He is said to have rebuilt the Gunbuk Elementary School building destroyed in the war and to have set up the Yeongnam Scholarship Foundation to give scholarships. He was chairman of the Baemyeong Foundation in 1959, chairman of the Dongyang Foundation in 1976, and a vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries. There are reports that his birthplace in Gunbuk, Haman was opened to the public by Hyosung.
His tomb could not be confirmed here.