"Jung Mong-won, Chairman Entering International Hall of Fame: 'Ice Hockey is a Source of Energy'"

Jung Mong-won, Chairman of Halla Group, is taking a photo with Luc Tardif, IIHF President, before wearing the Korean national team uniform at the IIHF Hall of Fame ceremony held in Tampere, Finland on the 29th (Korean time).

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Chung Mong-won, chairman of Halla Group, has been inducted as an honorary member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame. He was recognized for his consistent efforts in promoting the development of ice hockey both domestically and internationally as a leading ice hockey enthusiast in the business community.

On the 29th (local time), Chairman Chung, who attended the IIHF ceremony held in Tampere, Finland, expressed his gratitude for the induction, saying, "Ice hockey means 'a source of energy and passion'." This event was the Hall of Fame induction ceremony postponed since May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman Chung was previously inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in February 2020 under the 'Builder' category. The Builder category honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of ice hockey as coaches or administrators. He founded Mando Winia (the predecessor of Anyang Halla), the first men's corporate ice hockey team in Korea, in 1994 and has maintained a relationship with the team for 26 years.

Chairman Chung is the fifth Asian inductee and the first from Korea. In Asia, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki, Kawabuchi Tsutomu, and Tomida Soichi (all from Japan), and Boris Alexandrov (Kazakhstan) are members of the Hall of Fame. He has also contributed to diplomatic development, including the formation of the unified North-South Korean women's Olympic team and his appointment as honorary consul of Slovenia in Korea.

In his acceptance speech, Chairman Chung said, "Ice hockey shares commonalities with corporate management, such as the need for speed, intuition, and good teamwork." He added, "As shown by naming our company's autonomous test vehicle 'Hockey' and patrol robot 'Goli,' ice hockey has greatly influenced the management philosophy of Halla Group."

He continued, "The relationship began in 1994 when a young employee's idea led to the founding of the team," and said, "Although some viewed it skeptically because it was a less popular sport, ice hockey helped recharge our energy, and that passion became the driving force behind regaining the core affiliate Mando, which was lost during the foreign exchange crisis, in 2008."

IIHF President Luc Tardif said, "The founding of Halla in 1994 laid the foundation for the development of Korean ice hockey, and achievements such as participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, the men's national team's promotion to the World Championship, and the formation of the unified North-South women's ice hockey team would have been impossible without him." He added, "Confirming Asia's potential at the PyeongChang Olympics holds special significance for the development of ice hockey worldwide."

At the event, Mathias Seger and Mark Streit were inducted into the Hall of Fame in the player category.

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