HONG Seok-Hyun 홍석현
JoongAng Holdings
중앙홀딩스
Chairman 회장
Hong Seok-Hyun is the owner and Chairman of JoongAng Holdings, the largest media group in Korea with 26 outlets spanning newspapers, broadcasting, publishing, entertainment and digital media. In recognition of his leading transformations in the media industry, Mr. Hong served as President of the World Association of Newspapers, as well as President of the Korean Association of Newspapers.
Mr. Hong has been active in public service. In the 1970s and ‘80s he worked as an economist at the World Bank, and was a senior fellow at the Korea Development Institute(KDI). He also served as the Korean ambassador to the United States, and more recently, visited Washington D.C. as President Moon Jae-in’s Special Envoy to the United States.
Mr. Hong is the Deputy Chairman for the Asia Pacific Group of the Trilateral Commission, and was until recently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Asia Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS), as well as a member of the Chatham House Panel of Senior Advisers. He is currently a member of the 21st Century Council of the Berggruen Institute on Governance, the Chairman of the Korea Baduk(Go) Association and was the President of the International Go Federation. He also serves as the President of the Organizing Committee of the World Culture Open(WCO).
Mr. Hong is deeply committed to unification issues. As Chairman of the Korean Peninsula Forum, he planned and oversaw the launch of the Korea Peace Foundation in 2017. As Chairman of this new Foundation, Mr. Hong aims to seek and propose creative alternatives and strategies to foster a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. Hong received his bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from Seoul National University, and earned both a master’s in industrial engineering and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.


1949년 서울에서 태어나 경기고등학교, 서울대학교 전자공학과를 졸업했다. 스탠퍼드대학교에서 산업공학 석사와 경제학 박사 학위를, 카자흐스탄 키메프대학교(국제관계학), 세종대학교(공공정책학), 포스텍(포항공대•전자전기공학), 러시아 극동연방대학교(법학) 등에서 명예박사 학위를 받았다.
1970~80년대에 걸쳐 세계은행(IBRD) 이코노미스트, 한국개발연구원(KDI) 연구위원으로 일했으며 중앙일보•JTBC 회장, 한국신문협회장, 세계신문협회(WAN) 회장, 주미 대사, 대통령 미국 특사, 아시아재단 이사, 전략국제문제연구소(CSIS) 이사, 채텀하우스(영국왕립국제문제연구소) 고문을 역임했다.
현재 중앙홀딩스 회장, 한국기원 총재, 월드컬처오픈(WCO) 위원장, 재단법인 한반도평화만들기 이사장, 삼극위원회(Trilateral Commission) 아시아태평양위원회 부회장, 베르그루엔 거버넌스 연구소 21세기 위원회 멤버로 활동하고 있다.
대통령 표창(1984년), 연세대학교 남녀공학 50주년 기념 특별공로상(96년), 태평양세기연구소(PCI) ‘PCI 빌딩 브릿지스 어워드’(2016년)를 수상했다.