Hanjin Group’s “Vision 2045” Toward Becoming a 100-Year Company
Creating a world-connecting logistics network
Boosting efficiency for an integrated airline launch
Baek Sang-gyeong | No.433 (January 2026 Issue 2)
Article at a Glance
“Hanjin Group” marked its 80th anniversary by proclaiming “Vision 2045” and expanding its founding philosophy of nation-building through transportation into a long-term growth strategy. The goal is to become a globally integrated logistics group encompassing even the space industry. During the pandemic, Hanjin Group demonstrated exceptional dynamic capabilities by recording profits through a counterintuitive operation that converted Korean Air passenger aircraft into cargo planes. Building on this performance, the group succeeded in acquiring Asiana Airlines and is accelerating preparations for the launch of an integrated airline. The integrated airline is not a simple expansion of scale, but a strategic choice aimed at strengthening network density and achieving qualitative growth. To organically connect different organizations and generate synergies, a range of efforts is being pursued, including presenting a shared future vision, making proactive investments, and aligning value systems. Over the past more than 80 years, Hanjin Group has consistently turned crises into opportunities for growth and is once again preparing a new stage for challenge.
“Moving the world to a better future.”
This is the new slogan that Hanjin Group declared last year. It embodies the ambition to drive the world toward a better future by leading innovations that enable a better life for humanity and sustainable prosperity. At the milestone of its 80th anniversary, Hanjin chose to focus not on the past but on the future. Rather than revisiting its former growth story, it concentrated its efforts on charting the next 20 years. Reinterpreting its founding philosophy of Su-song-bo-guk (輸送報國, contributing to the nation through transportation) in the language of today, the group declared “Vision 2045,” a long-term growth strategy aimed at becoming a “100-year company” and, further, the world’s leading airline. By the time it marks its 100th anniversary in 2045, Hanjin plans to continue innovation centered on 7 areas 1 , including artificial intelligence (AI), and to grow into a comprehensive mobility company encompassing even the space industry. This vision reflects a determination to redefine the essence of its business and further expand its operations in response to changes in industrial structures and the competitive landscape.
Recent moves have reinforced this message. Backed by strong dynamic capabilities, Hanjin has continued to grow by identifying new opportunities amid crises. In particular, performance in aviation, the group’s core business, has stood out. Its key affiliate, Korean Air, overcame the unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic with a counterintuitive strategy. By swiftly converting passenger aircraft into freighters, it generated profits at a time when the global aviation industry as a whole was struggling and fundamentally strengthened its competitiveness in cargo transportation. While many airlines went bankrupt during this harsh period of consolidation, Hanjin instead achieved what was widely described as a once-in-a-generation M&A by acquiring Asiana Airlines, creating a pivotal opportunity for a major leap forward. Following full-scale integration work this year, the unified airline is scheduled to be launched in 2027. It will emerge as a global top 10 “mega carrier,” encompassing passenger and cargo services, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) 2 , and IT infrastructure.
“Hanjin Group” marked its 80th anniversary by proclaiming “Vision 2045” and expanding its founding philosophy of nation-building through transportation into a long-term growth strategy. The goal is to become a globally integrated logistics group encompassing even the space industry. During the pandemic, Hanjin Group demonstrated exceptional dynamic capabilities by recording profits through a counterintuitive operation that converted Korean Air passenger aircraft into cargo planes. Building on this performance, the group succeeded in acquiring Asiana Airlines and is accelerating preparations for the launch of an integrated airline. The integrated airline is not a simple expansion of scale, but a strategic choice aimed at strengthening network density and achieving qualitative growth. To organically connect different organizations and generate synergies, a range of efforts is being pursued, including presenting a shared future vision, making proactive investments, and aligning value systems. Over the past more than 80 years, Hanjin Group has consistently turned crises into opportunities for growth and is once again preparing a new stage for challenge.
“Moving the world to a better future.”
This is the new slogan that Hanjin Group declared last year. It embodies the ambition to drive the world toward a better future by leading innovations that enable a better life for humanity and sustainable prosperity. At the milestone of its 80th anniversary, Hanjin chose to focus not on the past but on the future. Rather than revisiting its former growth story, it concentrated its efforts on charting the next 20 years. Reinterpreting its founding philosophy of Su-song-bo-guk (輸送報國, contributing to the nation through transportation) in the language of today, the group declared “Vision 2045,” a long-term growth strategy aimed at becoming a “100-year company” and, further, the world’s leading airline. By the time it marks its 100th anniversary in 2045, Hanjin plans to continue innovation centered on 7 areas 1 , including artificial intelligence (AI), and to grow into a comprehensive mobility company encompassing even the space industry. This vision reflects a determination to redefine the essence of its business and further expand its operations in response to changes in industrial structures and the competitive landscape.
닫기Recent moves have reinforced this message. Backed by strong dynamic capabilities, Hanjin has continued to grow by identifying new opportunities amid crises. In particular, performance in aviation, the group’s core business, has stood out. Its key affiliate, Korean Air, overcame the unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic with a counterintuitive strategy. By swiftly converting passenger aircraft into freighters, it generated profits at a time when the global aviation industry as a whole was struggling and fundamentally strengthened its competitiveness in cargo transportation. While many airlines went bankrupt during this harsh period of consolidation, Hanjin instead achieved what was widely described as a once-in-a-generation M&A by acquiring Asiana Airlines, creating a pivotal opportunity for a major leap forward. Following full-scale integration work this year, the unified airline is scheduled to be launched in 2027. It will emerge as a global top 10 “mega carrier,” encompassing passenger and cargo services, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) 2 , and IT infrastructure.
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- This content was originally written in Korean in the DBR, and translated into English by the original author with the aid of AI
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