Published : Feb. 5, 2017 - 16:12
Korean business moguls came to pay their respects over the weekend to Huh Wan-koo, the son of LG Group’s co-founder, who died on Friday at the age of 81.
The late Huh is the fifth son of LG Group co-founder Huh Man-jung and uncle of GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo.
Huh, who graduated from Wingate University in North Carolina, founded the logistics and real estate company Seungsan in 1969 and acquired the US steel company Farwest in 1991 to expand his business.
He donated 10 billion won ($8.7 million) to modernizing Jinju Girls’ High School, which was set up by his father Huh Man-jung.
On Sunday afternoon, GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo and Hyundai Department Store Chairman Chung Ji-sun visited the funeral to give their condolences. Earlier in the day, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong also paid his respects at the funeral, according to GS officials.
On Friday, the first day of the funeral, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Development Company Chairman Chung Mong-Gyu and Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin came to pay their respects. Also, GS Caltex Chairman Huh Jin-Soo and CEO Hur Dong-soo were in attendance.
GS was split from LG Group in 2005, with the family of the late Koo In-hoe, the other LG co-founder, gaining full control over LG Group and the Huh family creating GS Holdings.
Kang Ho-dong, a former top Korean traditional wrestler and current television host, also came to the funeral. They reportedly built a relationship as Huh served as a chairman on the Korea Folk Ssireum Association and the Korean Olympic Committee.
Meanwhile, Huh Shin-koo, Huh Wan-koo’s brother, also died Sunday, at the age of 89. Huh Shin-koo was an honorary chairman of GS Retail.
By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)