HANDOK

In 1954, in a post-war Seoul, founder Kim Shin-kwon and six partners established the Union Drugs Company. The playbook was simple: import and distribute quality pharmaceuticals. Just three years later, they secured a technical license agreement with the German pharmaceutical giant Hoechst, a pivotal move that allowed them to start producing advanced medicines locally by 1959. This strategy set the stage for the company's entire future. The company, renamed HANDOK Pharmaceuticals, went public in 1976. However, its most defining characteristic has been its deep, long-term partnerships. In 1964, the relationship with Hoechst evolved into the first joint venture in Korea's pharmaceutical sector. This 49-year collaboration with Hoechst and its subsequent merged entities, Aventis and later Sanofi, was the company's backbone, giving it access to global R&D and a portfolio of established drugs. Through these alliances, HANDOK introduced key treatments for diabetes and hypertension to the Korean market. A major turning point came in 2012 when HANDOK and Sanofi ended their long-standing joint venture. HANDOK became an independent company, now led by Chairman and CEO Young-Jin Kim, the founder's son. This independence marked a strategic shift. While maintaining collaborations, HANDOK began building its own R&D capabilities and diversifying its business into medical devices, diagnostics, and consumer health, rebranding as a "total healthcare company."