Opening of 'K-Entrepreneurship Center' on the Site of Former Jisu Elementary School, Alma Mater of Lee Byung-chul and Koo In-hoe

'K-Entrepreneurship Center' built on the site of the former Jisu Elementary School in Jinju City

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The former Jisu Elementary School, which produced the first-generation founders of Korea's leading global companies such as Samsung, LG, and GS, has been reborn as the mecca of 'K-Entrepreneurship.'

On the 29th, the Small and Medium Business Corporation (SBC) announced that it opened the ‘K-Entrepreneurship Center’ at the former Jisu Elementary School in Jisu-myeon, Jinju-si, Gyeongnam Province, and will actively promote the spread of K-Entrepreneurship to the public. Established in 1921 and closed in 2009, Jisu Elementary School is a symbolic place of domestic entrepreneurship, having produced about 30 founders of the top 100 companies in the 1980s, including Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung Group, and Koo In-hwoi, the founder of LG Group.

In July 2018, Jinju City and the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration declared Jinju as the domestic capital of entrepreneurship. In July 2019, SBC signed a business agreement with Jinju City to establish an entrepreneurship education center and began full-scale construction of the center.

The center consists of the main building’s education wing, a specialized library, and an experience center. The first floor of the main building is used as an exhibition hall, and the second floor serves as an education hall. The theme of the first exhibition hall on the first floor is ‘The Roots of K-Entrepreneurship.’ It introduces the spirit of noblesse oblige from Seungsan Village and the entrepreneurship of first-generation global founders. In particular, the immersive video hall offers insights into 100 years of Korean corporate history.

The second exhibition hall, themed ‘The Forest of K-Entrepreneurship,’ introduces 100 years of Korean economic history, the history of K-companies, and the entrepreneurship of global and unicorn companies. This area also features an interactive experience space where visitors can discover their own entrepreneurship type and reaffirm their entrepreneurial spirit.

The center’s operation strategy focuses on ▲field experience-based education ▲development of participatory communication content ▲and establishment of cooperative networks. The education sector is structured around three major areas?reflection, management, and social responsibility?linked to the center’s value system, with common and specialized curricula tailored to the characteristics of the target audience to enhance educational effectiveness.

Storytelling-based, experience-centered exploration education programs connected with local culture and historical resources will be operated, and non-face-to-face content utilizing various edutech technologies will be developed. To overcome the center’s geographical limitations, customized outreach education reflecting the needs of demanders will be provided to strengthen communication with the field.

Meanwhile, to spread the K-Entrepreneurship value system, the ‘Entrepreneurship Talk Concert,’ which has been touring major cities such as Seoul, Daejeon, and Gwangju since the beginning of the year, will continue to be held. Additionally, participatory communication content such as content contests and entrepreneurship research and academic conferences will be developed, and a cooperative system with related organizations possessing expertise in entrepreneurship will be established to promote the national spread of entrepreneurship.

From early April, the education program will include visits to Seungsan Village and the birthplaces of founders to reflect on their entrepreneurial spirit and management philosophy, as well as understand the teachings of Nammyung Jo Sik, whose philosophy is connected to entrepreneurship. The program targets prospective entrepreneurs, young startup CEOs, and SME CEOs, and is also open to students and the general public.

Kim Hak-do, SBC Chairman, said, “I am pleased to establish a mecca of entrepreneurship here, where Korea’s first-generation founders nurtured their dreams. I hope the opening of the K-Entrepreneurship Center will serve as an opportunity to spread entrepreneurship across all sectors of our society, lead change and innovation, produce entrepreneurs full of pride, and contribute to the development of the national economy.”

The center’s opening ceremony was attended by about 120 people, including Kim Hak-do, SBC Chairman; Cho Gyu-il, Mayor of Jinju; Kwon Soon-ki, President of Gyeongsang National University; Won Young-jun, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups; Han Sang-man, President of the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration; Choi Bong-gyu, Chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs; Lee Han-wook, Vice Chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs; as well as government, local government, related organizations officials, and local residents.

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