Purebred Result Achieved in 10 Years with 30 Jindo Dogs... Chairman Lee Geon-hee's Efforts Played a Role

Samsung Guide Dog Project Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Actively Worked to Preserve Purebred Jindo Dogs
Strived to Improve National Image During Olympics

As Samsung's guide dog project marks its 30th anniversary, the pet dog business initiated by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee is being reexamined. Chairman Lee was well known for nurturing a love for animals by raising companion dogs since his childhood. This laid the foundation for Samsung to improve the national image and contribute to society through various pet dog businesses. It also helped expand the base of pet culture and created opportunities for related industries to emerge.

Chairman Lee's first pet dog project was the "Preservation of Purebred Jindo Dogs." While raising many world-renowned dog breeds, he believed that Jindo dogs could stand proudly on the global stage. In particular, he saw few breeds that could match the Jindo dog in terms of the important traits of sacrifice and loyalty. However, despite being a domestic natural monument, the Jindo dog was not internationally recognized for its excellence due to the lack of confirmed purebreds. Its origin in Korea was also not acknowledged.

Photo description: The late Lee Kun-hee, former chairman of Samsung, pictured with Jindo dogs / [Photo source=Samsung Electronics Newsroom video capture]

In response, Chairman Lee embarked on a purebred Jindo dog preservation project. Around the late 1960s, he visited Jindo and stayed for three days, purchasing 30 Jindo dogs. After more than ten years of effort, he produced a purebred pair. He also raised 300 Jindo dogs, increasing the purebred rate to 80%. In 1979, he personally showcased a male and female Jindo dog pair at the "World Dog Breed Comprehensive Exhibition" held in Japan, which led to the registration of the Jindo dog’s origin with the "World Canine Organization" in 1982.

In 2005, he succeeded in officially registering the Jindo dog as a recognized breed with the UK's Kennel Club, the world's most prestigious dog association. Established in 1873 to improve breeds, the Kennel Club is known for its rigorous breed registration process. When registering the Jindo dog as an official breed, the Kennel Club evaluated it as a "breed with well-protected breed and lineage." Since then, the Jindo dog has been loved worldwide as a native Korean breed. This was the fruition of Chairman Lee's efforts.

During the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he personally worked to improve the national image. As national interest grew before and after the Olympics, voices criticizing Korea's dog meat soup culture increased worldwide, especially in Europe. The British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals planned large-scale protests. Chairman Lee invited members of animal protection societies to Seoul, showing them how dogs were raised in homes. He also took them to pet research centers to demonstrate the level of Korean pet culture. As a result, the society members canceled their protests.

At the Samsung booth set up at the 2005 'Crufts Dog Show,' a visitor is meeting a Jindo dog. / Photo by Samsung Electronics

In 1993, to commemorate the "New Management Declaration," which called for thorough innovation, Samsung introduced the "Samsung Guide Dog School," the first guide dog training center for the visually impaired in Korea. This is the only guide dog school in the world operated by a corporation, and since its establishment in 1993, it has sent a total of 280 guide dogs into society over 30 years, contributing to the welfare of the visually impaired. It also worked hard to spread the guide dog culture, which was unfamiliar in Korea. This is an example of Chairman Lee's philosophy, believing that a true welfare society requires consideration for people with disabilities and accepting them as equal members without hesitation.

In the process of widely promoting Korean pet culture worldwide, Samsung sponsored the world-renowned dog show "Crufts Dog Show" starting in 1993. The Jindo dog "Chesney" participated for the first time in this competition held in 2013 and achieved a prize-winning result. In Japan, Samsung established a hearing assistance dog training center in 2008 and gifted a male and female Jindo dog pair to Shigeo Nagashima, a top player of the prestigious local baseball team Yomiuri Giants.

Chairman Lee's efforts are evaluated as having contributed to improving the national image related to pet dogs. The British royal family recognized his love for animals and contributions to spreading pet culture by gifting him a dog. In 2002, Chairman Lee received a commendation from the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) for his efforts related to the guide dog business. On the 19th, the IGDF visited Samsung's 30th anniversary ceremony of the guide dog project and presented a plaque of appreciation to Samsung.

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