Hankyung Association "Reviving Lee Byung-chul's 'Entrepreneurial Spirit' to Lead Korea's Economic Development"

【Financial News Jeju=Jo Eun-hyo Reporter】 "Reviving the 'entrepreneurial spirit' emphasized by the late Lee Byung-chul, the founding chairman of the Korea Economic Association, and taking the lead in contributing to national economic development." (Kim Chang-beom, Vice Chairman of Hankyung Association)
'Entrepreneurial Spirit Turning Crisis into Opportunity, Challenge and Innovation' was the theme of the Korea Economic Association CEO Jeju Summer Forum, which concluded on the 19th after a 3-night, 4-day schedule. This year, the 38th Hankyung Association Jeju Forum was attended by over 500 domestic entrepreneurs, who gathered to discuss the recovery of 'entrepreneurial spirit' in response to complex crises such as the transition to the AI era, tariff shocks from the US, and the rise of China's industrial sector.
Ryu Jin, Chairman of Hankyung Association, emphasized, "Entrepreneurial spirit has been the engine of the national economy and the driving force behind the Miracle on the Han River and the rise to the top 10 economic powers," adding, "Creating a 'business-friendly environment' is the key to solving problems, especially in difficult times."
■"Detected Crisis Signs Before Anyone Else" 
This forum introduced numerous innovative cases where entrepreneurial spirit turned crises into opportunities. Lee Jae-sang, CEO of HYBE, presented on HYBE's proactive response to the K-pop crisis. He stated, "While everyone was celebrating the K-pop boom in 2023, Chairman Bang Si-hyuk was the first to detect crisis signs in K-pop and pursued three major strategies: multi-home, multi-genre, multi-label, and super fandom platform," adding, "Chairman Bang's 'crisis theory' laid the foundation for HYBE to become the largest entertainment company in Korea and the fourth largest in the world."
Lee Eun-mi, CEO of Toss Bank, highlighted 'persistence in innovation' as the background for Toss Bank's transition to profitability within three years of its establishment and its rise to a first-tier financial institution bank, during her lecture on 'The Future of Digital Banking and Toss Bank's Success Formula.' She said, "In addition to differentiated customer services like 'Receive Interest Now' and 'Real-time Notification of Changes in Register of Leasehold Rights,' we meticulously examined even small differences like button positions and click counts."

Hyun Dong-jin, Head of Robotics Lab at Hyundai Motor Company (Executive Director), announced the launch of the second mass-produced product of the small multi-purpose mobility platform 'MobED' (Mobility for Everybody) with advanced robotics technology by the end of this year. Regarding the core of sustainable robotics technology, he emphasized 'price competitiveness,' stating, "It should be usable and affordable technology, not just expensive but good technology."
■"Crisis Was Preparation Time for the Future"

Choi Jae-won of SAMG Entertainment shared a success story of hitting the jackpot by targeting SAMG Entertainment's character IP (intellectual property) from children to adults with a 'reverse thinking' approach. Song Mi-sun, CEO of Hanatour, explained that the reason they were able to maintain their position as the industry leader despite the emergency situation caused by the spread of COVID-19 was because "we were confident that the market would reopen and used the crisis period to realign the company's vision and services." She added, "We didn't sit idly by with nothing to do, but used the time to prepare for the future."
Kim Dong-shin, CEO of Sendbird, a software and AI solution company, advised that the introduction of AI technology is crucial for the 'A2A Economy' (Agent to Agent Economy), an ultra-connected digital economy based on AI agents, and that it requires the determination and clear goal-setting of executives (C-level).
Kim Kwang-seok, Head of Economic Research at the Korea Economic Industry Research Institute, explained the current state of the Korean economy and the growth-centered policies of the current government under the keyword 'AI Highway' policy of the Lee Jae-myung government. He stated, "Although the Lee Jae-myung government is a progressive regime, it prioritizes growth," adding, "The Lee Jae-myung government is seeking a rebound momentum with the AI Highway policy to build data center infrastructure."
In his closing speech, Vice Chairman Kim Chang-beom said, "The Hankyung Association, founded in 1961, has already surpassed its 60th anniversary," and added, "We will revive the entrepreneurial spirit emphasized by Samsung's founding chairman Lee Byung-chul, the first chairman of the Hankyung Association (formerly the Federation of Korean Industries), with the goal of building an advanced capitalist country where market economy and free competition operate, and contribute more to national economic development."
Meanwhile, during this forum, singer Kim Yong-bin, the winner of Mr. Trot 3, piano-playing trotman Chris Young, and singer Jung Dong-ha, celebrating his 20th debut anniversary, held a special summer night concert. 
ehcho@fnnews.com Jo Eun-hyo Reporter