"Boundaryless Market Pioneer" Japanese Entrepreneur Research Forum, Lotte Shin Kyuk-ho Study Presentation

Highlighting Entrepreneurship Pioneering New Markets Across the Korea-Japan Border

Research materials studying the entrepreneurial spirit of Shin Kyuk-ho, the founder of Lotte, have been released.

On the 13th, Lotte Corporation announced that on the 11th, a research presentation titled "Boundaryless Market Pioneer, Lotte Shin Kyuk-ho" was held during a special management lecture organized by the Japanese "Entrepreneurship Research Forum." The Entrepreneurship Research Forum highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit of founder Shin Kyuk-ho, who established businesses in both Korea and Japan. Founded in 2002 by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the forum researches various topics such as corporate studies, talent development, and management organizations, sharing these insights with both the business community and academia.

Shin Kyuk-ho, founder of Lotte
Photo by Lotte Holdings.

This study on founder Shin Kyuk-ho was commissioned by the Entrepreneurship Research Forum and conducted by Professor Baek In-su of Osaka University of Economics. The research included interviews with former and current Lotte executives, such as Lim Seung-nam, former president of Lotte Construction and a first-generation college graduate recruit of Lotte in Korea and Japan, and Noh Byung-yong, former CEO of Lotte Property & Development who contributed to the completion of Lotte World Tower. It also involved verification through visits to Shin Kyuk-ho memorial halls and his birthplace in Korea and Japan, as well as key Lotte business sites.

The research materials introduced Shin Kyuk-ho’s management achievements in Korea and Japan and presented his entrepreneurial spirit along with its implications for modern management studies. The study highly evaluated the principles of action Shin Kyuk-ho employed to overcome limits encountered during his expansion from starting business in Japan to investing in Korea and extending into manufacturing, distribution, and chemical sectors.

The analysis concluded that Shin Kyuk-ho’s innovative thinking, which did not set boundaries by country, organization, or industry, was a key factor in his success. His approach to overcoming limits by seeking answers on-site, hiring experts from various fields to gather opinions, and fearlessly taking one step further despite failures were also cited as secrets to his success.

On the 11th, at the Entrepreneur Research Forum held at the Osaka Corporate Museum in Japan, Professor Baek In-su of Osaka University of Economics gave a research presentation titled "Boundaryless Market Pioneer, Shin Kyuk-ho of Lotte."
[Photo by Lotte Holdings].

The research materials also included implications Shin Kyuk-ho offers to modern managers. These include "ambidextrous management," which simultaneously develops current businesses while steadily seeking new ventures to prepare for the future; "crossover management," which combines different business fields and people to create entirely new organizations; "orchestra management," which appropriately blends and utilizes one’s strengths to generate synergy; and "performance management," which prioritizes customer and next-generation happiness as the foremost management value.

Yoshihiro Eshima, Vice Chairman of the Entrepreneurship Research Forum, stated, "How managers overcome the limits they face during business processes is the key to success, and entrepreneurial spirit and activities are gaining attention as the driving force. In this regard, founder Shin Kyuk-ho teaches us a great deal. We hope that expanding research on him will help young people dreaming of entrepreneurship."

Professor Baek In-su of Osaka University of Economics, who was responsible for this research presentation, said, "It was a burden to research and present on founder Shin Kyuk-ho, who conducted business over a century, in such a short time. Going forward, extracting and analyzing the management innovation DNA that enabled Shin Kyuk-ho to succeed beyond boundaries of country and industry will be the core of our research to provide insights to many managers."

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