Samsung Holds Academic Conference Today on the 3rd Anniversary of Late Lee Kun-hee... Encouraging 'Super-Gap Management'

18th Business Administration Association Hosted '30th Anniversary Conference on New Management'
19th Memorial Concert for Former Chairman Lee Geon-hee, etc.
Revisiting Former Chairman Lee's Message Encouraging 'Quality Management'

An international academic conference reflecting on the 'New Management Declaration' made by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee 30 years ago will be held on the 18th, ahead of the 3rd anniversary of his passing (on the 25th).

The Korean Academy of Management, sponsored by Samsung Global Research, will hold the 'Chairman Lee Kun-hee 3rd Anniversary Memorial and Samsung New Management 30th Anniversary International Academic Conference' at the Samsung Seocho Building in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the same day.

The timing of the conference is one week before Chairman Lee's 3rd anniversary. Within Samsung, this conference is interpreted as a message encouraging the continuation of Samsung's unique 'super-gap' management by commemorating Chairman Lee and re-examining his philosophy.

The New Management Declaration embodies Chairman Lee's philosophy of 'quality (質) management,' emphasizing that reducing defective products is essential to becoming a world-class company beyond being the best in Korea. Thirty years ago, in June 1993, Chairman Lee gathered about 200 Samsung executives and employees in Frankfurt, Germany, to announce the New Management. He said, "If we do not change in the era of globalization, we will forever remain second or second and a half tier," and "Let's change everything except our wives and children." Afterwards, Samsung held the 'Anycall burning ceremony,' where 150,000 mobile phones were destroyed. Motivated by this strong message, employees pursued quality management and product innovation, turning Samsung into a world-class electronics and semiconductor company.

In the first part of the conference, Roger Martin, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Kim Sang-geun, Professor at Yonsei University Theological Seminary, will deliver keynote speeches on the themes 'What is the Essence of Lee Kun-hee's Management?' and 'The Significance of the KH Legacy,' respectively. In the second part, Scott Stern, Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rita McGrath, Professor at Columbia University, Patrick Wright, Professor at the University of South Carolina, and Kim Tae-wan, Professor of Business Ethics at Carnegie Mellon University, will take the stage.

Kim Jae-gu, President of the Korean Academy of Management, said, "It will be an opportunity to share innovation and inspiration for the new leap of Korean companies and to envision strategic directions for the future."

Chairman Lee Kun-hee, former chairman of Samsung.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

On the 19th, a memorial concert for Chairman Lee will be held at the Samsung Electronics Human Resources Development Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. It is reported that Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Chairman Lee's wife Hong Ra-hee, former director of the Leeum Museum of Art, and other Samsung family members are likely to attend. Presidents of Samsung affiliates are also expected to participate. Pianist Cho Seong-jin will perform on stage. He is the youngest recipient of this year's Samsung Ho-Am Prize in the Arts.

At the end of last month, Samsung began creating a commemorative atmosphere for the 3rd anniversary by re-examining the guide dog school project led by Chairman Lee. The business community is paying close attention to what message Samsung will deliver ahead of the 3rd anniversary and the 1st anniversary of the chairman's inauguration.

On the 25th, a simple memorial service for Chairman Lee's 3rd anniversary is planned at his ancestral burial site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Current and former Samsung presidents are expected to attend to pay their respects. At the 1st anniversary in 2021, only family members gathered quietly at the ancestral site in Suwon. At last year's 2nd anniversary, about 300 Samsung Group executives and Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group, visited the site to honor the late chairman along with the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong will mark his 1st anniversary on the 27th. Samsung does not plan to hold a separate event for the chairman's 1st anniversary.

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