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Hyundai boss calls for having ‘historical view’

October 31, 2013

By Kim Rahn

Chung Mong-koo Hyundai Motor chairman

Chung Mong-koo
Hyundai Motor chairman

Having a sense of historical awareness will help boost pride in the nation and the company one belongs to, according to Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo.

This level of awareness will help a person promote both his or her company’s products and the nation’s culture.

Officials at the Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday that the chairman stressed in a recent executives meeting the importance of historical awareness, which can be a competitive edge in the global market.

“Workers having strong historical awareness can love themselves, their company and their country. If Hyundai workers sell the cars with such a mindset, they are selling Korean culture too. This will be Hyundai’s strong point in the global market,” Chung was quoted as saying by a company official.

According to the official, the chairman said that Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors both represent Korea, therefore urged staffers to embrace this sense of mission and devotion to the companies.

Chung also called for more intensive education on history for employees so that they can promote Korea’s history and culture to customers around the world.

“The chairman said this because he believes that workers that have pride in their country and the company through historical awareness can develop Hyundai into a leading company in the global auto market,” the official said.

“By learning history, staff members can also get creative ideas to strengthen the firm’s future competitiveness,” he said.

All staff of both Kia and Hyundai have enrolled in a history education program called “History Concert,” designed to improve their understanding of history.

The program is comprised of five lectures on Korean history and five on world history, delivered by professors and other distinguished scholars.

“We believe that workers that have their own historical view through this education is the start of realizing their role as Hyundai and Kia workers. We also think understanding world history will help them develop a global mindset,” the official said.

Hyundai and Kia also plan to recruit people with expertise in history. In a recent test to select rookies, the companies asked applicants to write an essay on historical subjects such as historic events or figures.

For the 10,000 overseas Hyundai employees, foreign VIP customers, foreign journalists and opinion leaders who visited Korea this year, the group offered programs to enable them to experience Korean culture and history.

In November last year, the company issued “Inside Korea,” a book on Korean culture and history written both in Korean and English, which was distributed to employees at its overseas branches.