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Lo and Behold! Cho Woong-rae, Pioneer in Business
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Graduated from School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1978
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By Lee, Min-ji, reporter, minjilee@knu.ac.kr
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등록일: 2008-11-20 오후 7:16:17
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▲ CEO of SunYang Cho Woong-rae
ⓒ photo by SunYang |
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Have you heard about a ‘running CEO?’ Imagine a man running every morning in a mountain, with his barefoot. He loves walking in the nature just like what his business philosophy ‘Eco-healing’ says. He is the CEO of alcohol producing business, SunYang Incorporated. Previously, he was the inventor and owner of telephonic services ‘700-5425.’ How did he begin the two businesses which are totally different? The KNU Times is going to introduce this interesting man.
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Q. How were your school days in KNU?
A. When I was a freshman in 1978, ex-president Park Jeong-hee was in power. Since democracy wasn’t established at that time, many university students demonstrated against his dictatorship. KNU students, including me, were the first to do this. The turmoil lasted for 2 years and most universities had to be temporarily closed. Apart from that, I was an ordinary student who liked Makgulri(Korean traditional rice alcohol) and playing guitar. Frankly, I even got F for two courses before the military service. After finishing military service, however, I worked very hard and even received a scholarship. Later, I was employed by Samsung Electronics before my graduation.
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Q. Why did you begin your own business?
A. While working for Samsung Electronics, the big conglomerate, for 3 years, I couldn’t figure out what I was there for. I couldn’t find the true reason why I was working for the company. That’s why I quit the work and joined small and medium enterprises. I took charge of planning and management. In 1992, the law letting private businesses run telephonic services came into effect. An idea hit me: to start the melody message service through telephones. Despite my suggestion to the company, I was rejected and decided to do it on my own. It was the turning point of my life. The first to start the ARS (Advanced Record System) services was me. At first, I began 700-8484, which the number 8484 sounds like 八字(Pal-za in Korean and it means the destiny), and it told the callers their stars. Later, I started '700-5425'. At that time, media were not very developed and people didn’t have many ways to express their feelings or emotions. It delivered music to the callers’ loved ones through telephone with sweet messages. I prepared all the melodies and songs by myself for the customers to choose, and it was a great success.
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Q. Where do all your ideas come from?
A. My ideas come from my approach of putting myself in others’ shoes. It stems from the care and concern for others. If I understand the situation of people, such as what they need require or what problems they have, I can come up with a solution. I caught the needs of women and made the alcohol, O2lin (product of Sunyang Inc.). In social activities, alcohol plays a significant role. However, women usually tend to suffer from the high alcohol content in Soju . After repeated researches, the idea of Soju for women was born. I added three times as much as oxygen contained in normal Soju. This helps people get sober an hour earlier. Now, it is popular with male and female citizens, in Chungcheong Province and the market share is about 47%.
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▲ CEO of SunYang Cho Woong-rae
ⓒ photo by SunYang |
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Q. Why did you suddenly decide to take over the alcohol business?
A. Some people said that I was crazy when I took over the alcohol business Sunyang Inc. One can never succeed unless he or she is firmly determined, which sometimes can seem crazy. It needs passion and concentration. I began the telephonic service which was rejected, but succeeded. No one expected this success and it was a shocking idea to use a number as the name of a company, 5425. I studied electronics in university and I succeeded in the IT field. But just out of the blue, I joined the alcohol business. Plus, I’m from Gyeongsang Province, Masan. But my business began in Chungcheong Province where I am a total stranger. People asked me many times. “Why did you begin the business here?” or “Wouldn’t it have been easier to do business in the home region?” I think it doesn’t matter. It’s the same for everyone. If you’re determined to do something, do not be afraid of the challenges you face. You can make it if you want it.
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▲ Officers of SunYang are running on Mt. Kyejok
ⓒ photo by SunYang |
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Q. You are known to love the marathon. Could you tell us about it?
A. I love it. It helps me go through hardships. Taking a walk for about two hours helps me get relaxed. It gives me great comfort. I walk to get rid of unnecessary and complicated thoughts inside me, so that new ideas or solutions can fill up the empty space. So I have completed the marathon 35 times. I think it is an honest exercise because it resembles life. If you get arrogant and overdo it, you don’t really notice the difficulty at first. But with time, you will find it tough. It’s just the same as life. With no preparation, it gets very hard to go on, but if you get over it, you can feel a sense of accomplishment and get more motivation. I go to walk everyday at 5:30 in the morning. Moreover, I walk with barefoot. Meetings with the workers in my company is held in Kyejok Mountain twice a month. I had put yellow earth along the road for everyone. It’s the best road for taking a walk in the woods. On this road, SunYang Masai marathon in which domestic and foreign participants take a part is held annually.
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Q. How do you want to advise the students in KNU?
A. First, I want studnets to have confidence in KNU. You can achieve anything only when you’re very confident about yourself and your given circumstance. It will help you. And it’s good to have a warm heart to care about others. As mentioned before, it is a basic need for a sound society and furthermore, for creativity. Additionally, you need to keep in mind that getting good grades isn’t the most important. Learning English is also one of the qualifications everyone’s required to have, and doing regular exercise every day is also beneficial. It’s hard to find students who do regular exercise. It will give you competitiveness in that it gives some hardship, chances to overcome, and the joy of accomplishment. It will also make you healthy. Don’t be afraid of facing a challenge and make your dreams come true.
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What if he kept working as an employee of Samsung Electronics? What if he gave up his new idea for business when it was rejected? Things would have been different. He faced the challenges and made it. What about trying something new and challenging in the coming year?
[No.330]
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 Review |
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 Book cafe |
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 Language Usage |
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 Reader's Letters |
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