[New Year's Message] Yoon Jong-kyu, KB Financial Group Chairman: "Turn Crisis into Opportunity... Let's Become Market-Leading 'Leaders'"

KB Financial Group Holds New Year Kick-off Ceremony and Presents ‘L.E.A.D 2020’ as the Management Strategy Keyword for 2020

Emphasizing ‘Songbaekhujo (松柏後凋)’ to Show True Value That Shines in Difficult and Challenging Times

Visits to KB Kookmin Bank and Non-Life Insurance Call Centers, Offering New Year’s Greetings and Thanks to Over 800 Employees

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gangwook] Yoon Jong-kyu, Chairman of KB Financial Group (photo), presented the group’s management strategy keyword for the Year of the Rat as ‘L.E.A.D’ and called for becoming market-leading leaders.

On the morning of the 2nd, Chairman Yoon held the 2020 kick-off ceremony at KB Kookmin Bank’s Yeouido headquarters, attended by CEO Hur In and other representatives from affiliated companies.

In his New Year’s address, Chairman Yoon explained the challenging domestic and international business environment, stating, “Whether we can become market-leading ‘leaders’ depends on how we overcome and utilize crises,” and emphasized, “All executives and employees must pool their wisdom and capabilities to turn crises into opportunities and build a sustainable KB.”

To this end, he declared the group’s 2020 management strategy keyword as ‘L.E.A.D 2020’ and presented four strategic directions: ▲ Strengthening core group competencies (Level up the core) ▲ Expanding business areas (Expansion) ▲ Realizing a dynamic and creative KB (Active & creative KB) ▲ Customer-centric digital innovation (Digital innovation-customer centric).

Chairman Yoon also said, “Like the saying ‘Songbaekhujo (松柏後凋),’ which means that only after the weather turns cold do we realize that pine and cedar trees do not wither, we will be able to recognize true value in difficult and challenging times,” and added, “Let us move forward vigorously to achieve the bold dream of ‘finance that changes the world’ based on a firm belief in customer centricity.”

Following the kick-off ceremony, Chairman Yoon’s first action of the new year was to visit the call centers of KB Kookmin Bank and KB Non-Life Insurance, which are at the forefront of customer contact for non-face-to-face customers, shaking hands with over 800 employees and expressing New Year’s greetings and gratitude for their hard work.

In response to Chairman Yoon’s request to ensure employees can focus on their core duties, the unannounced visit surprised the employees at first but was soon met with warm smiles.

A KB Kookmin Bank call center employee said, “Despite the busy schedule on the first day of the new year, seeing the group CEO personally visit the call center and thank each employee made me feel sincere appreciation and great pride. Going forward, I will do my best with the mindset that every customer I speak to is my customer and my family.”

Chairman Yoon stated, “The call center plays a very important role in providing smooth service to customers,” and urged, “To elevate KB Financial Group’s customer-centric management to the next level, please do your best not only to convey KB’s voice to customers but also to deliver customers’ vivid voices back to KB.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.