Top Scorer in 1995 CSAT and Seoul National University Entrance Exam
Graduated Early from Seoul National University and Gained Experience at Multinational Companies
Joined Samsung Electronics TF Team in 2022
Concerns are rising that the surge in medical school admissions due to increased quotas could lead to a weakening of national competitiveness. Amid this, the recent status of Jeong Seong-taek, who achieved the top nationwide score in the 1995 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and went on to enter Seoul National University College of Engineering, has become a hot topic among netizens. On the 16th, multiple online communities including FM Korea posted updates about Jeong's recent activities. Born in 1976, Jeong scored 194 out of 200 on the 1995 CSAT, securing the top nationwide rank.
He then earned the honor of being the overall top scorer in the Seoul National University entrance exam with a score of 915.95 out of 1000. At the time, Jeong, who was attending Busan Science High School, said in an interview with the media, "I am even happier to have achieved the overall top rank at Seoul National University following my nationwide top score on the CSAT." He added, "I want to study hard in the Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering group at Seoul National University and contribute to society more in practical fields than theoretical ones," expressing his ambition, "I want to accomplish something great that will shine a light on our country globally."
Early Graduation and Building a Career at Leading IT Companies
After entering Seoul National University, Jeong graduated early as the top student after just seven semesters in July 1998. He then moved to the United States, where he completed his master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at Stanford University. Following this, he built his career at prestigious IT companies such as Qualcomm, a U.S. semiconductor firm, and McKinsey, a global consulting company. In 2011, he returned to Korea and served as the Chief Executive Officer in charge of global business development at the IT startup Mobolab. At that time, he said, "After working as a consultant at McKinsey for three and a half years, I wanted to take on the challenge of startups where there is much to pioneer."
In 2022, as Samsung Electronics sought mergers and acquisitions to grow new businesses within the group, Jeong was recruited as the head of the New Business Task Force (TF), becoming a Samsung executive. By the end of 2023, he joined the 'Future Business Planning Group,' known as Chairman Lee Jae-yong's special unit, as a vice president. The Future Business Planning Group is a core department responsible for discovering future growth engines for Samsung Electronics. Vice President Jeong Seong-taek, who has accumulated extensive experience in startups and global markets, is tasked with identifying businesses that are not simply extensions of existing operations.
Given that he was the top scorer nationwide and also the overall top scorer at Seoul National University, expectations are high for the innovations he will bring. Netizens who learned about Jeong's recent status commented, "Back then, there was a sentiment that geniuses should go into physics to contribute to human progress," "It's fortunate that such talent did not divert to medical school," and "At that time, even the top student at Seoul National University had the romanticism of not going to medical school."
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