[Report] Jisu Elementary School Attended by Samsung and LG Founders Transforms into 'K-Entrepreneurship Center'

Old Jisu Elementary School Site in Jinju, Gyeongnam
'K-Entrepreneurship Center' Opens

Founded in 2012 with Young 'K-Entrepreneurship' Spirit, Helping Local Farmers
Ocheonho, CEO of EcoMom's Mountain Village Baby Food

The "Rich Pine Tree" stands tall in front of the main building of the "K-Entrepreneurship Center." It is said to be a tree planted and nurtured together by Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung Group and the first student of this school, Koo In-hoe, the founder of LG Group, and Cho Hong-je, the founder of Hyosung.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] On the 29th, I visited the site of the former Jisu Elementary School in Seungsan-ri, Jisu-myeon, Jinju-si, Gyeongnam Province. Mt. Bangeosan (523m) spread out like a folding screen, and beneath its foothills, a stream of the Namgang River winds through, making it truly a prime location of 'Baesanimsu' (backed by a mountain and facing water). In front of the two-story main school building stood a pine tree taller than any surrounding structure. A sign identified it as the 'Bujapine' (Rich Pine). It is said that this tree was planted and nurtured by the first batch of students when Jisu Elementary School opened in 1921, including Lee Byung-chul, founder of Samsung Group; Gu In-hoe, founder of LG Group; and Cho Hong-je, founder of Hyosung. The tree was named with the hope of becoming wealthy after seeing it.

Jisu Elementary, Alma Mater of Lee Byung-chul and Gu In-hoe, Becomes a Hub for 'K-Entrepreneurship'

The Bujapine, which had been guarding the site of the closed Jisu Elementary School alone for 13 years since its closure in 2009, welcomes a new family. On the 29th, the Small and Medium Business Corporation officially opened Jisu Elementary as the 'K-Entrepreneurship Center.' Jisu Elementary produced 33 founders of Korea's top 100 companies in the 1980s. The tree, nurtured by the hands of founders of Korea's leading companies, now serves as a guardian that preserves and spreads the entrepreneurial spirit they demonstrated.

The center operates in two buildings: the education building (main building) and an auxiliary building. The first floor of the main building is set up as an exhibition hall. The theme of the first exhibition hall is 'The Roots of K-Entrepreneurship,' focusing on Seungsan Village in Jisu-myeon, Jinju-si. It showcases the village's history, surrounding scenery, and where famous domestic company founders once lived, through photos and videos.

Seungsan Village located in Jisu-myeon, Jinju-si, Gyeongnam.

Seungsan Village has been a clan village of the Kimhae Heo family for over 600 years, and about 300 years ago, the Neungseong Gu family joined by marriage, continuing the lineage of both Heo and Gu families. Chairman Gu In-hoe and Chairman Heo Man-jung, founder of GS Group, are descendants of these families. The residence of Heo Soon-gu, Lee Byung-chul’s brother-in-law, where Lee lived while attending Jisu Elementary, is also located in this village. Additionally, the birthplace of Gu Ja-shin, founder of Cuckoo Electronics, and the family home of Gu Ja-won, founder of LIG Group, are here.

The second exhibition hall, themed 'The Forest of K-Entrepreneurship,' introduces 100 years of Korean economic history, the history of Korean companies, and the entrepreneurial spirit of global and unicorn companies. There is also an interactive space where visitors can discover their own type of entrepreneurial spirit through a touchscreen.

The center plans to actively operate educational programs for CEOs, including tours of Seungsan Village, experiences in the center’s exhibition halls, and visits to the Korean Seonbi Culture Research Institute located in nearby Sancheong County. To overcome geographical limitations, the center will also support customized on-site education. A representative from the Small and Medium Business Corporation said, "We plan to continuously develop experiential education, participatory communication content, and non-face-to-face content," adding, "We will structure the curriculum around reflection, management, and social responsibility to maximize educational effectiveness."

Inside the exhibition hall of the 'K-Entrepreneurship Center'.

Eco Mom’s Mountain Village Baby Food: A Young Representative of 'K-Entrepreneurship'

In addition to opening the center, the Small and Medium Business Corporation has supported small and venture companies that have cultivated Korea’s unique entrepreneurial spirit in the field. Among them, Eco Mom’s Mountain Village Baby Food, located in Hadong County, is a representative success story nurtured by the entrepreneurial passion of CEO Oh Cheon-ho (40) and the economic support of the corporation.

Eco Mom’s Mountain Village Baby Food is located at an altitude of 500 meters on Jirisan Mountain. It is the setting of Park Kyung-ri’s epic novel 'Toji' (The Land), with the Pyeongsari Choi Champan House featured in the novel just a five-minute drive away. After winding dozens of times along the curvy S-shaped road, I arrived at the factory where employees were busy with their daily tasks.

Ocheonho, CEO of EcoMom's Mountain Village Baby Food.

Eco Mom’s Mountain Village Baby Food was established in 2012. CEO Oh, who previously ran a porridge restaurant in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, got the idea for baby food from porridge and returned to farming to start the company. The company purchases fresh organic agricultural products from over 125 farms in the Hadong area to produce baby food, convenience foods, and senior foods. It exports baby food to 17 countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, and the United States. Sales grew from 100 million KRW in the first year to 6.6 billion KRW in 2018 and 13 billion KRW last year. The company employs 55 people.

CEO Oh said, "When I first started the business, receiving 70 million KRW in policy funds from the Small and Medium Business Corporation was a great help," adding, "I also received 1 billion KRW in 2020 when smartifying the manufacturing site, and have been helped several times since." Through the corporation’s 'Manufacturing Site Smartification Fund,' they introduced inclined kneaders, robotic equipment, and automatic filling systems. Production volume increased to over 50,000 units per day. Productivity increased more than fivefold through the establishment of a vacuum low-temperature cooking (sous-vide) line.

Equipment installed inside the EcoMom's Mountain Village Baby Food factory. The process involves sorting and washing grains.

CEO Oh dreams of growing Eco Mom’s Mountain Village Baby Food not just as a company but as a village community. Currently, all employees live near the factory in company-provided dormitories, making them both company staff and neighbors. CEO Oh said, "It is regrettable that there is much talk about regional extinction recently," and expressed his ambition, "We will grow the company with the determination that our hometown is protected by us so that this place can be the last hometown for our employees."