Korea Federation of Mid-sized Companies appoints industry veteran Kim Hyun-cheol as new standing vice chairman

The Korea Federation of Mid-sized Companies said Sunday that Kim Hyun-cheol, former president of the Korea Testing & Research Institute for the Chemical Industry, has taken office as its new standing vice chairman. His three-year term runs from Sunday through May 31, 2029.

The federation approved Kim's appointment at its second board meeting of 2026, conducted in writing from May 15 to May 28.

Kim is a policy specialist with roughly 29 years of experience in industry, trade, technology and energy. He entered public service in 1993 after passing the 28th national technical administration exam. He went on to serve as head of the climate change task force and chief of the energy and environment division at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, as a resident attaché at the South Korean Embassy in the Netherlands, and as director of the steel and chemicals division and the industrial technology policy division at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, before serving as director general of Patent Examination Bureau No. 1 at the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

He later held posts at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as director general for industrial technology convergence policy, director general for regional economic policy, and head of the new and renewable energy policy division. From 2021 to 2022, he served as a standing commissioner on the Korea Trade Commission.

In October 2022, Kim became president of the Korea Testing & Research Institute for the Chemical Industry, where he oversaw testing, certification and technical support programs for businesses. He drew on a cooperation network spanning 265 institutions in 55 countries to help export-oriented companies obtain overseas certifications and expand into global markets.

The federation said it expects Kim's deep background in industrial and trade policy to strengthen its capacity to respond to policy challenges at a time of growing external uncertainty — including shifts in U.S. tariff policy, global supply chain restructuring, the energy transition and the spread of AI.

In his inaugural address, Kim said he felt "a profound sense of responsibility" to join mid-sized companies in their pursuit of innovation and growth as they work to overcome the global compound crisis and rebuild the corporate growth ladder. "I will strengthen communication and cooperation among mid-sized businesses, the National Assembly, the government and related institutions to support the sustainable growth of mid-sized companies and raise the standing of the federation," he said.

Born in 1968, Kim holds a bachelor's and master's degree in chemical engineering from Soongsil University and earned a doctorate in economics from the Korea University of Technology and Education's graduate school of convergence technology and energy last year.