Jung Yong-jin Meets New Employees: "We Must Present Products and Experiences Customers Want First"

"The pace of change for 'top customers' is accelerating... We must listen to complaints"
"Feels like meeting a senior, not a chairman"

"We must quickly and accurately understand our customers' lifestyles and present the products and experiences they want 'before the customers themselves.' This is the realization of the future-oriented 'Customer First' principle."

Jung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, emphasized this when meeting with the talents who will lead the group's future, discussing the future-oriented implementation strategy of Shinsegae's primary spirit, 'Customer First.'

According to Shinsegae Group on the 24th, Chairman Jung encouraged new employees from all group affiliates, including E-Mart, Shinsegae Department Store, Shinsegae Property, and Shinsegae International, who joined this year at the '2025 Shinsegae Group New Employee Completion Ceremony' held on the 21st at Shinsegae Namsan, the group's urban talent development center. This was the first time he met the new employees selected since he took office as chairman in March last year.

Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, is answering questions at the new employee completion ceremony held on the 21st at Shinsegae Group's urban talent development center 'Shinsegae Namsan'. Photo by Shinsegae Group

"The pace of change for 'top customers' is accelerating... We must listen to complaints"

At the event, Chairman Jung said, "The top priority value of Shinsegae, 'Customer First,' remains unchanged, but the way to practice it has changed. Forty years ago, it was 'kindness,' and twenty years ago, it was 'providing the products customers want at the prices they want without running out of stock.'" He added, "Now, in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), everything will change very rapidly," and noted, "There will be more changes in the next three years than in the past twenty, and especially, the pace of change of the 'top customers,' who always seek novelty, may be faster than our rate of development."

He explained to the new employees the group's management philosophy of "finding opportunities in customer complaints, breaking conventions, and continuously growing as an innovative company," emphasizing, "We must listen to complaints rather than be satisfied with customer praise."

As the new employees of Shinsegae Group completed a two-week training, they also carried out a team project titled "Design a new customer experience for top customers." Accordingly, they presented creative ideas to innovate the 'customer contact spaces' operated by Shinsegae Group, such as marts, department stores, convenience stores, cafes, complex shopping malls, and baseball stadiums.

Chairman Jung, who gave feedback, said, "What you presented today exactly matches the discussions I recently had with executives," evaluating, "This means outstanding talents are joining our group." He added with satisfaction, "Actually, I was so busy today that I didn't even have a meal, but seeing you all makes me feel full even without eating."

Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, attended the new employee completion ceremony held on the 21st at 'Shinsegae Namsan,' the group's urban talent development center, and took a selfie with the new employees. Photo by Shinsegae Group

"Feels like meeting a senior, not a chairman"

When a new employee asked about the secret to becoming a trendsetter at this completion ceremony, Chairman Jung asked the new employees whether they tend to wear new clothes quickly or save them. When the majority answered "wear quickly," he laughed and said, "You who wear quickly are the trendsetters."

Chairman Jung also said, "I have a desire to try new products as soon as they come out and to taste new foods," defining, "I believe the real trendsetter is the person who tries new products first more than anyone else."

At the end of the conversation with the new employees, Chairman Jung encouraged them, saying, "While you may have heard only good things during training, once you start real work, it will become very intense, and you will be evaluated by strict standards. Even if it is tough, I hope you grow there and feel greater happiness."

New employee Jo Young-joo from E-Mart said, "It was a really good experience because he sincerely told us the mindset that new employees must have as a senior in society, not as a chairman."

Chairman Jung spent a long time with the new employees even after the official ceremony, including the issuance of employee IDs and group photo sessions. He responded to requests to take selfies one by one. One new employee brought a professional baseball SSG Landers uniform and asked for an autograph, and Chairman Jung sat on the stage floor to sign it.

The new employees who participated in the completion ceremony were those personally selected by Chairman Jung during the final interview of the 2025 Shinsegae Group open recruitment last December. He said, "I gave the highest evaluation to all members of one group interviewed two months ago," adding, "This was the first time in my 27 years as an interviewer."

Since 1998, Chairman Jung has participated every year as an interviewer for new employee selection for 27 years. He regards 'Talent First,' emphasized by the late founder Lee Byung-chul, as a core management principle and believes that placing competent talents in suitable departments is the first step to strengthening competitiveness.

A Shinsegae Group official said, "We will continue to provide various education and support so that new employees can realize creative achievements with customer-centric thinking."

This year's new employees of Shinsegae Group will be assigned to their respective workplaces starting next month after completing training at each company.