[Asia Exclusive] "Eating Every Morning and Checking for Comfort, Simplicity Is Sometimes the Best Management"

Direct Participation in All Processes from Food Development to Marketing and Distribution
Boldly Eliminating Unnecessary Steps
Positive Mindset, No Hesitation

Chairman Kim Hong-guk of Harim Group is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 7th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

"I even tried eating ramen every morning to see if my stomach would feel comfortable, cooking and eating it repeatedly."

After deciding ramen as the first product of the ‘The Misik’ brand, Chairman Kim Hong-guk of Harim had ramen for breakfast. Usually, ramen is not eaten in the morning due to stomach discomfort, but he wanted to personally experience whether eating it for a long time would cause any discomfort. He also cooked ramen himself at the restaurant located in the basement of the Harim headquarters. Chairman Kim participates in the entire process from food development to tasting, marketing, and distribution. His philosophy is fully reflected in the product.

"Pursue Simplicity"

The corporate culture of Harim Group can be summed up in one word: ‘simplicity.’ Simplicity, which is also Chairman Kim’s management philosophy, means the essence or core without any superfluous elements. It is about subtracting rather than adding. It pursues a sincere mindset of serving customers and consumers, a streamlined process that eliminates unnecessary costs, and processing and distribution systems focused on maintaining the quality of raw materials, discarding everything else. The simplicity that Harim Group pursues is precisely systematized expertise.

Chairman Kim emphasized, "We also stress simplicity for talent development, aiming for each person to find their aptitude and refine it to enhance their expertise." If members take on tasks according to their aptitudes and demonstrate the highest level of expertise, moving autonomously like the human body, it would be the most ideal management system.

"Positive Thinking is the Foundation of Success"

When asked what is necessary for success, Chairman Kim’s answer was clear. Everyone faces crises, and the power to overcome them is positive thinking. Chairman Kim said, "In my twenties, I experienced the livestock crisis and endured painful times sleeping in pigsties to avoid creditors, during which I learned about integrated management." He explained, "I realized that while pig prices were falling, sausage prices remained the same, which led me to conceive the model of integrated management connecting farms, factories, and markets." He recalled that the period when a fire broke out at the headquarters factory in May 2003 and avian influenza (AI) occurred that winter was so difficult that he did not even want to look back. Although everyone said it would be hard to recover, Chairman Kim saw it as "an opportunity to improve quality with new facilities" and implemented it, which advanced the company’s competitiveness to the next level. Now, he is turning his eyes to overseas markets. Chairman Kim is confident, saying, "Opportunities come even in crises," and "In ten years, Harim will hold an important position in overseas markets."

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