New role aims to build proactive response to shifting market and policy landscape

Appointment to strengthen external networks and crisis-response capabilities

Choi Jong-seok, vice president for policy planning at Hanjin [Hanjin]
Choi Jong-seok, vice president for policy planning at Hanjin [Hanjin]

Hanjin announced Wednesday that it has created a new vice president position and appointed Choi Jong-seok, its former chief safety officer, as vice president for policy planning, saying the move is aimed at proactively addressing changes in the company's internal and external business environment.

Born in 1970, Choi earned a bachelor's degree in social welfare from Seoul National University, a master's degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and a doctorate in business administration from Korea University. He passed the national civil service exam and began his public-sector career as an official at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, going on to serve as an administrator in the presidential office's employment and labor affairs secretariat, secretary-general of the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission, and labor attaché at the South Korean Embassy in the United States.

He later worked as a specialist editor at the Korea Economic Daily before joining Hanjin as chief safety officer, where he established the company's occupational health and safety framework. He also concurrently held the policy planning role, overseeing the company's internal and external management strategy.

In his new position, Choi will closely monitor rapidly shifting market conditions and external policy developments, analyze their impact on the company's operations, and lead proactive responses. He will draw on expertise accumulated in both the public sector and the corporate world to strengthen networks with external agencies, and will provide broad support for Hanjin's ESG (environmental, social and governance) management — including optimizing its safety and health systems, fostering cooperative labor-management relations, and enhancing overall business competitiveness.

"Choi is someone with a wide-ranging understanding of policy and business issues, having gained experience across the public sector, media and the corporate world," a Hanjin official said. "Through this newly created position, we expect to strengthen our ability to respond to a rapidly changing environment, deepen our ESG management through the establishment of advanced safety and labor-management practices, and drive the company's sustainable growth."

Meanwhile, Hanjin has been actively working to enhance its global logistics competitiveness, including expanding operations at a fulfillment center it established in Southampton, Hampshire, England, in April. Fulfillment is a logistics service that handles everything from product storage and order processing to packaging and delivery in a single integrated operation.


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