Koo Kwang-mo is the adopted son of Koo Bon-moo, the former president of LG Group. Bon-moo adopted Kwang-mo, who was his nephew, in 1994 after losing his only child in a traffic accident. Kwang-mo’s biological father is Bon-neung, younger brother of the former CEO of LG Group. His great grandfather is the founder of LG Group, Koo In-hwoi.
Koo studied engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology and completed his master’s degree at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Koo Kwang-mo began his career within LG Group as an assistant manager in the Department of Finance. In a short time, he was promoted as Finance Manager at LG Electronics. In 2009, he was appointed Head of Home Entertainment Business for the group’s division in New Jersey (USA). He was subsequently promoted as deputy director of the department in 2011. He was promoted again in 2014 as director of the LG Synergy team. In 2017, Kwan-mo became the Managing Director of the Management Group Team of LG Group.
Following the death of Koo Bon-moo on May 20, 2018, Kwang-mo was elected CEO of LG Corp at the shareholders meeting held at LG Twin Towers in Seoul on June 29 of that year.
Koo Kwang-mo’s succession in LG Group corresponds to Confucian family tradition. Although, industry observers expressed doubts by saying that the company’s corporate continuation was directed among family members.
