이 기사는 2019년 12월 10일 08:00 thebell 에 표출된 기사입니다.

South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group has shortlisted its potential chief executive candidates. Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung, Shinhan Bank chief executive officer (CEO) Jin Ok-dong, Shinhan Card CEO Lim Young-jin, former Shinhan Bank CEO Wi Sung-ho and former Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management CEO Min Jung-ki are likely to vie for the position.

According to financial services industry sources on December 4, the group’s chairman recommendation committee held the meeting and listed potential candidates.

The committee is expected to hold the final interview on December 13 to select the sole candidate. The committee will evaluate candidates’ mid-to-long term management strategy, entrepreneurship, work experience, professionalism, global mind, network, and ethicality based on the internal criteria. Each candidate will likely deliver presentation and have Q&A sessions.

Industry watchers expect that it will be the competition between incumbent chairman Cho and former Shinhan Bank CEO Wi. Cho was indicted on charges of hiring underqualified applicants. The current trial by the Seoul Eastern District Court is scheduled to end in mid-December, and the ruling could be released next month.

Cho became the CEO of Shinhan Financial Group in 2017. He was born in 1957 and majored in law at Korea University. He joined Shinhan Bank in 1984. He held various positions including the head of the bank’s New York branch, vice president in retail banking and CEO of Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management.

Born in 1958, Wi majored in economics at Korea University and entered Shinhan Bank in 1985. He was the head of Shinhan Card in 2013 and headed Shinhan Bank since 2017 before he stepped down in December, 2018.

Jin, current Shinhan Bank CEO, is the youngest among the five candidates. He began his career in the banking industry in 1980 as an employee of the Industrial Bank of Korea. He joined Shinhan Bank in 1986. His career in Japan began when he was dispatched to Shinhan Bank’s Osaka branch from 1997 to 2002. Jin was the head of SH Capital and the head of SBJ Bank. He was named vice president of operations at Shinhan Financial in 2017 and named the CEO of Shinhan Bank in March, 2019.

Born in 1960, Shinhan Card CEO Lim joined Shinhan Bank after graduating from Korea University with a degree in business administration in 1986. He held various leadership positions within the bank, including the head of Osaka branch. He has been leading the card company since 2017.

Former Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management CEO Min was born in 1959 and majored in German language and literature at Seoul National University. He joined Chohung Bank in 1987. He became the CEO of Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management in 2015 to replace Cho, who was then named the CEO of Shinhan Bank.

Market watchers see if the talk between the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the group’s outside directors will affect the appointment of its chairman. FSS reportedly told the group that legal risks relative to Shinhan Financial Group’s governance structure may affect the group’s business stability and credibility. However, market watchers view that FSS’s such action doesn’t necessarily mean South Korea's financial watchdog opposes Shinhan’s reappointing of Cho.

(By reporter Sohn Hyun-ji)