"The Human Ability to Cooperate Even in Crisis" ... 'Before and After COVID-19'

Jeon Young-min, CEO of Lotte Accelerator, Author of the Bestselling Management Guidebook in Politics and Business Sectors

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] "COVID-19 confirmed the fact that 'after all, humans are humans.' Many people argue that everything will move to non-face-to-face interactions, but once this long suffering ends, humans will return to their inherent warmth?eating, drinking, socializing, getting angry, rejoicing, experiencing conflicts, and cooperating together."

In May last year, when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading, a company management guideline titled "Before and After COVID-19," written by Jeon Young-min, then head of Lotte Human Resources Development Institute, became a hot topic in the business world. This book, created to convey forecasts and response strategies about a world that would change completely after COVID-19 to Lotte group company CEOs and executives, comprehensively covered changes in politics, international affairs, economy, society, and culture. It became a "bestseller" sought after not only by group chairpersons and top executives but also by the Blue House, government, and National Assembly through word of mouth.

Jeon said, "At the time of writing the book, vaccine development was very difficult, and it was predicted that it would be possible only by mid-year at the earliest, but the technology (medicine) we engage in had remarkably advanced," adding, "However, it seems it will take longer to completely overcome the impact of COVID-19."

Jeon focused on humans' ability to cooperate to solve humanity-wide problems. He emphasized, "Infectious diseases similar to COVID-19 will inevitably occur again and more frequently. Just as we learned lessons from the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak and responded to COVID-19, we must learn something this time as well to prepare for the next crisis."

One of the important issues expected to emerge in the post-COVID era is the "redefinition of cities." He explained that since cities today are developing toward energy saving and reducing environmental pollution, the transition to smart cities based on technological advancement will increase explosively and become the foundation of future competitiveness.

Jeon said, "Urbanization accelerated the COVID-19 pandemic, but paradoxically, it confirmed the task that cities must change into structures safer from infectious diseases," adding, "Startups will play a significant role in this process."

▶Born 1967 ▶Bachelor's in Philosophy, Korea University ▶Master's in Human Resource Management, Korea University ▶Ph.D. in Business Administration, Kyung Hee University ▶1992?2013 Lotte Policy Headquarters HR Team ▶2013?2016 Head of Talent Management Research Institute, Lotte Human Resources Development Institute ▶2016?2019 Vice President, Lotte Human Resources Development Institute ▶2019?2020 President, Lotte Human Resources Development Institute ▶August 2020?Present CEO, Lotte Accelerator

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