[Column] Lee Jae-yong's Crisis Management Philosophy Reflected in Ramen and Selfies

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] The meal choices of chaebol heads are always a hot topic. The expectation, curiosity, and envy about a somewhat special dining table that is burdensome for ordinary people to eat all combine into interest.

When Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong picked up a tray at the Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus cafeteria in Yongin City on the 19th, employees' attention was on what he would choose. The lunch he selected was ‘Usamgyeop Sukju Ramen’ from the Friday snack menu. Was it the ‘JY effect’? On that day, ramen sold particularly well.

This was not the first time Vice Chairman Lee chose a simple and quick noodle dish at the cafeteria.

In June 2020, when he visited the semiconductor research center located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, he chose jajangmyeon. This was to eat quickly during a busy schedule of touring the semiconductor research center and having relay meetings with executives and employees. Earlier, in January 2019, when he selected the Samsung Electronics Suwon plant as the first field management destination of the new year and attended the 5G equipment production line launch ceremony, he ate ‘jjambbong’ at the cafeteria.

The ‘ramen’ menu during his first field management after his reinstatement reflects his pragmatic attitude of quickly having a light meal without cumbersome formalities amid a relay schedule where every second counts.

In the fierce global semiconductor supremacy competition, Samsung Electronics’ goal to become the world’s number one in system semiconductors by 2030 also embodies the demand for speed to secure a market lead by maintaining a super-gap technology.

Known for usually disliking taking photos, Vice Chairman Lee did not refuse employees’ selfie requests while moving from attending the groundbreaking ceremony of the semiconductor R&D complex at Giheung Campus to having a meeting with executives and employees at Hwaseong Campus. For an employee who requested a friendly ‘two-shot’ with the chairman to show his wife, he even made a video call to help save face.

This side of him suggests a hopeful change from the rigid organizational culture typical of manufacturing to a horizontal and proactive communication-oriented organization. After his recent European trip, Vice Chairman Lee emphasized ‘flexible organizational culture’ along with technology and talent. We look forward to the future of the ‘New Samsung’ he showed through his menu choices and communication.

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