Seong-Jin Cho earned his PhD degree from Chungnam National University in 1967, specializing in soil fertility.
He worked for 30 years as a professor of soil science and served for 4 years as the President of the Chungbuk National University, Korea, where he recently retired as an emeritus professor. During 1987 to 1988, Cho served as President of The Korean Society of Soil Science and Fertilizer. He organized a number of international symposia in soil sciences and related fields.