8 Jan 2026
Seoul-based tire maker “to take action in accordance with due process”
Seoul – The Seoul high court criminal has reduced the prison sentence for Hankook Tire & Technology chairman Cho Hyun-bum from three years to two years, it was announced 23 Dec 2025.
In a stock exchanging filing, the Seoul-based group said it intended "to take action in accordance with due process" on everything related to this matter.
As previously reported by ERJ, Cho was sentenced to jail on charges of occupational embezzlement and breach of trust in May last year.
The case dates back to a 2023 case alleging that Cho Hyun-bum was under investigation on suspicion of illegal business activities.
Cho joined Hankook Tire in 1998, subsequently becoming the head of its marketing and business strategy divisions.
In 2018, he was appointed as the CEO of Hankook Tire, leading the company’s large-scale investments in China, Hungary, and the US.
He temporarily stepped down as CEO of Hankook in 2020 following previous charges of illegal business activity.
On 1 Jan 2022, Cho took over as chairman of Hankook & Co as part of a senior management reshuffle.
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