‘42nd Anniversary’ Dong-A Otsuka... CEO Jo Ikseong: "Let's Be the Agent of Change and Take a New Leap"

At the 'Donga Otsuka 42nd Anniversary Ceremony' held on the 3rd at the Donga Otsuka headquarters in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Jo Ik-seong, CEO of Donga Otsuka (fifth from the left), and representatives of long-term service award recipients among the executives and employees are taking a commemorative photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Jo Ik-seong, CEO of Dong-A Otsuka, urged employees to become agents of change and challenge on the occasion of the company's 42nd anniversary.

On the 3rd, Dong-A Otsuka held its 42nd anniversary ceremony in the conference room of its Seoul headquarters. The ceremony proceeded in the order of awarding long-term service awards and labor union recommended merit awards.

Due to social distancing measures amid the spread of COVID-19, the ceremony was held with a minimal number of attendees, with only eight representatives of employees present.

A total of 56 employees received long-term service awards and labor union recommended merit awards. The long-term service award was given to 52 employees, including three who have served for 30 years, and the recipients were given bonuses according to their years of service.

In a commemorative message posted on the company intranet, CEO Jo stated, “Let us turn crises into opportunities, become the agents of change ourselves, and take a new leap forward.”

He expressed gratitude, saying, “On this meaningful day marking the 42nd anniversary, I would like to thank all employees who are dedicating their utmost efforts to the development of Dong-A Otsuka, our shareholders and partner companies who have supported us in every way, and our customers who love Dong-A Otsuka.”

He then urged employees to become agents of change themselves and to act and practice anew by turning crises into opportunities, in line with Dong-A Otsuka’s 2021 slogan, ‘Change and Challenge.’

CEO Jo emphasized, “Although the ongoing COVID-19 crisis since last year has brought great difficulties, Dong-A Otsuka has the DNA to overcome crises and grow through change and challenge each time. To create a newly advancing Dong-A Otsuka, we ourselves must accept change and become agents of change.”

He added, “We must boldly discard the habits of clinging to past practices and merely trying not to make mistakes, and instead think ‘newly and differently’ and act and practice with a positive mindset of ‘we can do it.’” He also urged maximizing efficiency in sales and production, saying, “The achievements gained through efficiency will be a great force in building a ‘better tomorrow, a company with a future’ and laying the foundation for a new Dong-A Otsuka.”

Furthermore, CEO Jo said, “We must keep in mind and act on the fact that all the values we should pursue exist in the words of our customers,” and concluded, “All organizations operate centered on people. Especially in difficult times, let us praise and encourage each other, boost courage, and build a foundation for a happy company through the trust created among us.”

Meanwhile, Dong-A Otsuka, which was founded in 1979 after separating from Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s food division, has led the beverage market for over 40 years with differentiated products such as ‘Pocari Sweat,’ ‘Oronamin C,’ ‘Demi Soda,’ ‘Oran C,’ ‘Narang Cider,’ and ‘Masinda’ under the product philosophy of ‘beverages that care for health.’

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