Ilhan New

Ilhan New (; January 15, 1895 – March 11, 1971) was a Korean independence activist and entrepreneur. He was the founder of La Choy Food Products in the United States, and the South Korean pharmaceutical company Yuhan.

Early life and education New was born on January 15, 1895, in Pyongyang, Joseon (present-day North Korea), among nine brothers and sisters. His father, Yu Kiyŏn , was originally from Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, but had settled in Pyongyang in order to do business. While there, Yu was baptised by American missionaries as a Christian. He came to work as a merchant that distributed Singer sewing machines in Korea. He lived there for seven years. The school was the first such training institution for the independence movement, and New was its youngest student. The school was reportedly rigorous, with students doing farmwork in the morning, doing military drills in the afternoon, and studying in the evening. New chose to enter the industry specifically to improve healthcare in Korea. He imported various medications from the United States and sold them to local hospitals. During the 1950–1953 Korean War, the company was relatively unscathed.