Second chairman of Yuhan Corporation; professional manager who upheld the separation of ownership and management
| Life | 1930 ~ 2024 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 곡산 연씨 |
Yeon Man-hui (1930-2024) was a businessman who worked at Yuhan Corporation for nearly sixty years, serving as chief executive and second chairman. He was born on 15 October 1930 in Yeonbaek County, Hwanghae Province, and died on 16 July 2024 at ninety-four. Namuwiki describes him as a Goksan Yeon member of the Aneum-gong branch, 28th generation (熙 generation). He attended Yeonbaek Elementary School and the six-year Gaeseong Songdo Middle School and graduated from Korea University's economics department in 1955.
He joined Yuhan in 1961 and is said to have handled the listing in 1962, when it became the first Korean drug maker on the stock market. He was chief executive from 1988 to 1993 and then second chairman from 1993 to 1996, succeeding Yu Il-han. Continuing the founder's wishes he kept relatives out of management, allowed a president only one reappointment and limited terms to six years, establishing a professional-manager system that separated ownership from management.
From 1994 he donated scholarships worth hundreds of millions of won, including Yuhan shares, to Korea University. After leaving management he served as chairman of the Yuhan Foundation and adviser to Yuhan, ending a sixty-year career with his retirement in 2021. He received the Korea Management Association's 'Most Respected Business Leader' award in 2012 and in 2018 was chosen as the first honoree of the 'Order of Corporate Service to the Nation'. His family and private life are not covered on this site.
Within the clan he is remembered as a figure who left a mark on modern Korean business history. His Chinese-character name and exact sub-branch and lineage are not confirmed here, and the character field is left blank because Wikipedia gives none.
Yeon Man-hui is known for excluding relatives from management and limiting a president's term to six years, a principle traced to founder Yu Il-han.
Not confirmed