Cho, who built Korean Air, dies at 82

Cho Choong-hoon, foun-der of the Hanjin Group that owns Korean Air, died yesterday at Inha University Hospital in Incheon. He was 82 and had been in ill health since May.

Mr. Cho was born in Migeun-dong, in the Seodaemun district of Seoul in 1920, the second of eight children. At 25, he opened a transportation company in Haean-dong, Incheon, with only one truck. That was Hanjin Company, which he built into a transportation empire. During the 1950s and 1960s, Hanjin expanded rapidly, delivering military goods for the U.S. forces in Korea.

The major player in the nation's land, sea and air transport, Hanjin has 21 affiliate companies including Korean Air, Hanjin Shipping, Hanjin Transportation Co. and Hanjin Group. With total assets of 24 trillion won ($20 billion), the group ranks fifth among Korean enterprises (excluding state-owned corporations).

Mr. Cho is survived by his wife, Kim Jeong-il, and five children. Four sons, Cho Yang-ho, Cho Nam-ho, Cho Soo-ho and Cho Jung-ho, are expected to carry on the family business, each taking charge of a major division. Cho Yang-ho, the eldest is chairman of Korean Air.

Mr. Cho's daughter and eldest child is Cho Hyeon-sook, 56.

"A great man in the nation's transport business has gone from us," said Nam Duck-woo, a former prime minister. Mr. Cho was known for valuing credibility and hard work in business.

The funeral will take place Thursday at 10 a.m., at Korean Air's main building in Gimpo.

by Kim Dong-sub