Kim Woo-taek

Kim Woo-taek (born July 4, 1964) is a South Korean producer and entertainment executive.

He is the founder and current chairman of Next Entertainment World (NEW), which started as a film investment and distribution company and expanded into the musical, record, and drama business.

Kim establishing himself as a prominent content producer in South Korea after producing major hit with the drama Descendants of the Sun, as well as film Miracle in Cell No. 7 and Train to Busan, which garnered 10 million viewers.

Kim Woo-taek, born on July 4, 1964, in Seoul, completed his high school education at Hwanil High School in 1984.

He went on to graduate from Seoul National University's Department of Business Administration in 1988.

In 1990, He earned a master's degree in business administration from Emory University Graduate School in the United States.

He completed the CEO course at Sogang University and the Top Entertainment course at Hanyang University.

He also completed the Cultural Content Global Leader Course at Seoul National University.

After obtaining his master's degree in 1990, Kim began his career as an expert in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the planning department of the New York City branch of Samsung C&T.

In 1996, he further advanced his career by joining Dongyang Global.

In the following year, 1997, he relocated to On-Media, a subsidiary of the Korean food company Orion Group, which had been spun off from Dongyang Group.

This move marked his entry into the film industry.

At On-Media, he took on the role of general manager of the children's broadcasting channel Tooniverse.

In 1999 He moved to another Orion Grup subsidiary Mediaplex established in 1999.

Mediaplex brought a new wind to the theater world by operating Megabox Cineplex, which emerged as a representative theater district in Gangnam, Seoul.

Kim's name made into the shortlist of Cine21 magazine's '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years, spanning from 2001 to 2007.

In 2001, He entered the film business by becoming an assistant managing director at multiplex theater chain Megabox.

Kim set a precedent for other theaters by introducing groundbreaking initiatives like hosting a film festival, theater membership, and Thursday releases, all under the slogan "A movie theater that is more fun than a movie."

In December 2002, Kim served as managing director of Mediaplex.

On January 24, 2002, Mediaplex's CEO Dam Cheol-gon announced that it will establish a separate corporation called 'Showbox' and begin full-fledged investment in production of Korean films and foreign currency import and distribution business.

Regarding this, Mediaplex managing director Kim Woo-taek said, "We will secure high-quality content through close consultation with domestic production and investment companies," adding, "The investment decision for some works has already been finalized, so full-scale sales will begin as early as the second half of this year."

“We can get started," he said. Mediaplex also plans to import foreign currency and distribute about 20 domestic and foreign films per year.

Mediaplex was absorbed and merged with Showbox in 2003 and Kim became CEO.

During his tenure, Kim's skills were recognized through successful box office achievement starting from Taegukgi (2004).

In 2005 with Marathon (5.18 Million viewers), followed by Welcome to Dongmakgol (8 Million viewers) and Family Crisis (5.4 Million viewers), which ranked first, second, and third, respectively.

These films secured the 4th, 7th, and 9th positions in the all-time Korean film box office success rankings.

Followed by the box office success of The Host (2006).

In April 2008 Kim became CEO of Megabox.

In 2008, Kim established a film distribution and investment company called Next Entertainment World (NEW).

Starting with only four staff members and a capital of 2 billion won, he initiated this startup enterprise.

Seo Dong-wook and Jang Kyung-ik were among the four original members who established NEW.

The company's headquarters were situated in a corner of a building in Samseong-dong.

Unfortunately, not long after, a fire broke out in the building.

Although there were no casualties, everything was destroyed.

Reflecting on the incident, he remarked, "Everything burned down. It was a traumatic experience, but it all depended on how you interpreted it. I believed it was a way for things to fall into place."

Undeterred by the setback, he set out to explore new horizons in the entertainment industry.

Overcoming the challenges posed by the accident, he started anew from scratch, determined to carve out a fresh path for himself and his company.

NEW has been steadily making a name for itself in the film industry as a small yet robust company.

Starting to increase profits through distribution of the Hollywood film Twilight in the first year.

In 2010, New began investing in and distributing Korean films in earnest.