Published : Aug. 11, 2016 - 16:13
Kang Tae-young, wife of Hanwha Group founder late Kim Jong-hee and mother of group chairman Kim Seung-youn, passed away Thursday morning. She was 90.
Kang was born in 1927 in Korea’s western port city Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. She married the late Kim in 1946 after graduating from high school in Suwon.
Kang Tae-young (Hanwha Group)
Hanwha, formerly Korea Explosives, was established in 1952, and Kang is known for her dedication to the company’s prosperity.
In the initial stage of its growth, in 1960s and 1970s, she gained recognition for serving traditional Korean meals to important guests from abroad.
Kang had close ties with the literary world. In 2005, she established a literary foundation under her penname, Adan. The foundation has shared with academia both old and modern Korean literary materials it has collected. It owns nearly 9,000 rare Korean books and items, including three national treasures.
The funeral ceremony will be held Saturday morning at Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul.
She is survived by two sons and a daughter. The oldest son is the current Hanwha chairman and the second is Binggrae chairman Kim Ho-youn. The daughter, Kim Young-hye, is the former chairperson of the board of directors of First Fire & Marine Insurance.
By Kim Bo-gyung (
lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)