Venture First Generation Lee Geum-ryong: "An Se-young's 'First Question' Is Courageous"

Chairman Lee Geum-ryong Mentions Samsung C&T 50 Years Ago
Staying at Luxury Hotels Makes Buyer Meetings Easier, but Opposition from Staff
Accounting Manager Approved Back Then, Making It Easier
Millennial Generation Won 24 of 44 Medals
Many 'First Questions' Should Arise in Various Social Fields

Lee Geum-ryong, a first-generation domestic venture entrepreneur and known as the 'Internet Evangelist,' who is the chairman of Dojeon and Nanum, came forward to support Olympic badminton gold medalist An Se-young.

Chairman Lee said, "Watching the An Se-young incident reminded me of an episode from my early days as a new employee. In 1977, when I joined Samsung C&T and was in charge of toy exports, I attended an exhibition held in Tokyo, Japan," adding, "I booked a hotel corresponding to the staff level at the time, but it was inconvenient for meeting buyers. Most buyers stayed at the New Otani Hotel, Japan's top hotel back then."

[Image source=Asia Economy DB]

He continued, "I called headquarters and requested to stay at the New Otani Hotel, but I was severely scolded. They said that hotel was for executives like the CEO, and it was an absurd request," recalling, "While arguing with the accounting department staff, the accounting manager overheard and called the Tokyo branch, allowing me to move to the New Otani Hotel."

Chairman Lee said, "After moving hotels, consultations proceeded incredibly smoothly," adding, "We had numerous meetings from breakfast time until late at night, achieving remarkable results." He connected this anecdote to An Se-young. Chairman Lee emphasized, "When young people ask questions to do their best, they should be met with sincere and positive attitudes."

He said, "Out of 44 medals, 24 were won by the millennial generation born after 2000, and how much thought must 22-year-old An Se-young have put into asking those questions?" He added, "Professor Lee Jeong-dong of Seoul National University cited 'the first question' as a condition for becoming a technologically advanced country, meaning that many people asking the first question is essential to becoming a tech-advanced nation."

He continued, "The startup CEOs I work with are also courageous young people who ask the market's first questions," adding, "When courageous first questioners emerge in various fields of society and transform this into a driving force for development, entering the ranks of advanced countries will be possible."

Earlier, An Se-young, who competed as the national representative in women's singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won a gold medal, recently expressed dissatisfaction publicly toward the Korea Badminton Association. She claimed that as the youngest member of the badminton national team for the past seven years, she had been burdened with chores such as cleaning and laundry, suffering unfair treatment. In response, the Badminton Association has established an internal fact-finding committee to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Chairman Lee Geum-ryong is known as a first-generation domestic venture entrepreneur. He began his career in 1977 as part of Samsung Group's 17th public recruitment class and has led the development of the internet industry by serving as president at Auction, Inicis, and other companies.