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DongKoo Bio&Pharma
Chairman Cho Yong-joon runs DongKoo Bio&Pharma, a second-generation Seoul drugmaker investing roughly $180M across venture, real estate and private credit.
DongKoo Bio&Pharma
Cho Yong-joon assumed control from his late father, Cho Dong-seop, building on a domestic manufacturing business that began with prescription medicine and cosmetics. Today the operating company runs three South Korean facilities — a Songpa-gu headquarters, an R&D center in Anyang, and a Hyangnam plant in Hwaseong — while Honorary Chairwoman Lee Kyung-ok, Cho’s mother, retains a presence in governance. The family’s wealth remains tightly linked to the underlying pharma business, which acts as both asset origin and ongoing income engine. Investment activity filters through a corporate balance sheet and a separate investment office at Parc.1 in Yeouido, Seoul’s financial district. The firm allocates across venture and growth equity, real estate, and private credit, with a sector bias toward healthcare services that mirrors its operating expertise. DongKoo participates directly in early-stage life-science startups through venture arms, and a Laos manufacturing joint venture with LVMC Holdings illustrates its willingness to deploy capital alongside operating partners where pharmaceutical production can scale regionally. The real-asset portfolio includes the investor-grade commercial building housing its own headquarters. Total investable assets are undisclosed; Altss estimates an allocation pool of roughly $150–$200 million derived from operating profits and real estate holdings. Chairman Cho also chairs the Korea Pharmaceutical Cooperative Association, placing the family at the center of domestic industry policy discussions — a role that shapes both operating strategy and the pipeline of deal flow reaching the investment office. DongKoo’s structural differentiator is the handshake distance between its manufacturing P&L and its investment committee. Unlike a general family office that liquidated an operating business, the firm runs a live CMO (contract manufacturing organization) whose revenues can absorb the illiquidity of early-stage biotech bets. This architecture gives Cho Yong-joon the ability to write patient, multi-year checks into Korean health-tech startups without relying on third-party fundraising cycles.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
1983
AUM
Roughly $150–$200M in investable assets (Altss estimate).
Location
Region
Asia
Country
South Korea
City
Seoul
Corporate office
14th Floor, Building B, 114 Beobwon-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Additional offices
Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea · Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Principals
Cho Yong-joon
Chairman and CEO
Lee Kyung-ok
Honorary Chairwoman
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at DongKoo Bio&Pharma?
Chairman and CEO Cho Yong-joon, the second-generation owner, makes investment decisions. He operates from the company’s headquarters in Songpa-gu and its dedicated investment office in Yeouido, Seoul. Honorary Chairwoman Lee Kyung-ok, his mother, retains board-level influence but does not appear in day-to-day investment roles.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The wealth originates from the late Cho Dong-seop, who founded DongKoo Bio&Pharma in 1983 as a pharmaceutical manufacturer. The operating company now produces prescription drugs, dermatology products, cosmetics and medical devices, and runs its own CMO business. This manufacturing operation generates the cash flows that fund the family’s investment pool.
Does DongKoo invest through a separate family office entity?
DongKoo maintains a distinct investment presence through an office on the 22nd floor of Tower 2, Parc.1 in Yeouido, Seoul’s main financial district. The legal structuring is not publicly detailed, but the satellite office functions as the family’s deployment hub, separate from the pharmaceutical headquarters in Songpa-gu.
What investment stages does DongKoo Bio&Pharma typically target?
The firm covers a wide range from seed and early-stage startups to expansion-stage companies, as well as buyout opportunities. Much of the venture allocation concentrates on early-stage life-science companies in South Korea. The firm also makes direct real asset purchases and deploys into private credit.
How is DongKoo related to LVMC Holdings?
DongKoo Bio&Pharma and LVMC Holdings are business partners in LDK Pharma, a joint venture based in Laos. The venture combines DongKoo’s pharmaceutical manufacturing expertise with LVMC’s regional presence, extending DongKoo’s operating footprint into Southeast Asia through a corporate rather than purely financial channel.
Which sectors does DongKoo avoid?
Public disclosures do not specify explicit exclusion criteria. Given the firm’s heavy concentration in healthcare, real estate and private credit, there is no evidence of activity in areas like consumer internet, enterprise software, or heavy industry. The portfolio appears constrained to sectors where the family’s operating knowledge or asset-backing comfort applies.
Does DongKoo co-invest alongside external partners?
The Laos joint venture with LVMC Holdings demonstrates a clear appetite for co-investment alongside operating partners. Within Korean venture and healthcare, the Chairman’s position as head of the Korea Pharmaceutical Cooperative Association suggests an ecosystem of co-investors, though the firm does not disclose participation in formal club deals.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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