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SearchThe South Korean group created a vice president position to coordinate its main shipbuilding subsidiaries. Cho Min-soo was promoted to president and will take on safety responsibilities in a co-leadership structure.
HD Hyundai appointed Lee Sang-kyun vice president in charge of the group’s shipbuilding business, the company announced on October 7, 2026. Lee had previously served as vice president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. The appointment creates a position with oversight across several group companies and is part of its executive reorganization for 2026.
Lee will oversee HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and HD Hyundai Samho Industries, coordinating initiatives and implementation plans across their shipbuilding units. He will also be responsible for projects in new businesses, including engines for power generation for data centers and entry into the small modular reactor (SMR) market.
The reorganization also promoted Cho Min-soo to president and assigned him the role of chief safety executive. Cho will share leadership of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries with Lee in a co-leadership structure. His safety responsibilities cover the company’s main activities, including shipbuilding, offshore units, special-purpose vessels, and engines.
President Keum Seok-ho will focus on management support duties, according to coverage by Seoul Economic Daily. The new structure therefore combines coordination of the group’s shipbuilding business with strengthened safety responsibility within HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Two more executives were promoted to president. Han Ju-seok, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ engine and machinery division, will focus on new businesses and expanding the power-generation engine plant for data centers. Seoul Economic Daily puts the cost of that expansion at 830 billion won.
Meanwhile, Park Chan-hyuk of HD Hyundai XiteSolution was promoted to president. He has held executive positions related to construction machinery production and the group’s subsidiaries in Europe and China. The company links his promotion to the management and manufacturing competitiveness of its machinery business.
Some analysts and business observers interpreted the changes as a commitment to organizational stability, strengthening core capabilities, and plant safety. These assessments are analyses of the reorganization, not independent objectives confirmed by the company. The appointments and areas of responsibility described are the facts announced; the available sources do not detail expected outcomes or a timetable for measuring their impact.
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