James Joo-Jin Kim W'59 G'61 GR'63 Executive Chairman Amkor Technology, Inc. Seoul

Wharton Speaker >> Biography

James Kim is Executive Chairman of Amkor Technology, Inc., one of the world’s largest providers of semiconductor assembly and test services.  He founded Amkor in 1968 and has guided its growth and diversification, taking the company public in 1998.   He and his wife founded Electronics Boutique in 1977 and took the company public in 1998.   In 2005 Electronics Boutique merged with GameStop.   

Kim was born in Seoul, Korea in 1936.  He entered the College of Law at Seoul National University in 1954 and after one year he came to the United States.   He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School in 1959 and an M.A. in Economics in 1961.  Kim taught Economics at Villanova University from 1964 to 1970.

Kim currently serves on Wharton’s Executive Board for Asia and is an Emeritus Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kim has received several industry and association awards, including the Korean Presidential Commendation for his contribution to advancing the nation’s electronics industries, and the Semiconductor Industry Award as a Pioneer in the Merchant Packaging Industry.  

His philanthropic interests include Wharton, Penn, the Young Scholars Charter School, Gesu School, Philadelphia Museum of Arts, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Fox Chase Cancer Center.