Handok CEO Young-jin Kim was awarded the Cross of Merit Medal, for leading exchange and cooperation between Korea and Germany, at the Ambassador’s residence in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul on July 1, 2020.

The Cross of Merit Medal is awarded by the German government to people who made a special contribution to Germany in various fields, including politics, economy, society, and charity. It is the only medal awarded to civilians and not officials.

With this award, CEO Kim became the second in his family to receive the Cross of Merit Medal from the German government, following in the footsteps of his father and the founder of Handok, the late President Shin-kwon Kim. The late President Kim was awarded the highest medal available to a foreign civilian in 1987 for pioneering economic cooperation between Korea and Germany by signing a technological alliance (1957) and joint venture (1964) with global pharma-chemical company Hoechst, a first in Korea’s pharmaceuticals industry.

From 2010, Kim served as Chairman of the Korea-Germany Society (Koreanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft), a civilian organization to promote cooperation between Korea and Germany, and as Director and 5^th Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, engaging in various activities to promote friendship and economic cooperation between the two countries. The Korea-Germany Society’s many activities include hosting the Korean-German Forum, a regular gathering of civilians attended by distinguished figures in politics, economy, society, and culture from both countries, and awarding the Lee Mireuk Award to contributors who promote cultural exchange between the two countries.

Previously, Kim worked at Hoechst for two years beginning in 1984. Having learned from the German company’s advanced business culture, he adopted exemplary management practices at Handok, including ethical management, transparent management, quality management, and equitable employment.

Kim commented, “It is a great honor to receive this esteemed medal from the German government as my father did before me,” and added, “Handok was born as a joint venture with Hoechst but developed into an independent company. It is growing in step with the development of bilateral relations between Korea and Germany. Going forward, I intend to contribute to the development of both countries through the activities of the Korea-Germany Society.”