Jinhaksa Catch Announces 2025 'Leader of the Year' Survey Results
One in Two Gen Z Respondents Says "Lee Jae-yong is the Leader of the Year"
Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, has been ranked as the number one 'Leader of the Year' as chosen by Generation Z.
Samsung Group Chairman Lee Jae-yong is revealing a gift he received during a chicken meeting with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at Kanbu Chicken near Samsung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 30th. 2025.10.30 Photo by Cho Yongjun
On December 19, recruitment platform Jinhaksa Catch announced the results of a survey conducted among 3,079 job seekers and employees, revealing that Chairman Lee was selected as the most respected leader of 2025 with an overwhelming 52% of the votes.
In second place was Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, with 9%. Chairman Chung, who ranked seventh in the previous survey, climbed five spots to reach the top ranks this year.
In fourth place was Kim Seung-youn, Chairman of Hanwha Group, with 6%, making a significant jump from tenth to fourth. Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, ranked fifth with 5%, while Jung Ki-sun, Chairman of HD Hyundai, entered the rankings for the first time in sixth place with 4%. His recent actions regarding future industries and organizational change since taking office appear to have been positively received by Generation Z.
Other notable rankings included Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ Group, in seventh place with 4%; Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, in eighth with 3%; Park Jung-won, Chairman of Doosan Group, in ninth with 3%; and Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, in tenth with 3%.
The main reason cited for Chairman Lee's top ranking was his 'competence-focused leadership.' The most common reason given was 'expertise and capability' at 39%, followed by 'clear goals and vision' (15%), 'listening and communication' (12%), and 'support for members and their growth' (12%).
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, is delivering a gift during a chicken meeting with Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Group, and Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, at Kanbu Chicken near Samseong Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 30th. 2025.10.30 Photo by Jo Yongjun
Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung, who took first and second place respectively, drew public attention for their so-called 'Kanbu meeting' with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA. On October 30, they met publicly at the Kanbu Chicken franchise's Samseong-dong branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where their casual act of sharing chicken generated nationwide interest and goodwill.
Following their meeting, the Kanbu Chicken locations saw a surge in visitors. The first Kanbu Chicken store, located in Seongbok, Suji-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, had to temporarily close due to a flood of orders, and at the Samseong-dong branch, a notice was posted stating, "The table where CEO Jensen Huang sat is limited to one hour of use." Interest also grew in the menu items they enjoyed during the meeting, prompting Kanbu Chicken to officially release a 'Kanbu Meeting' set menu.
Meanwhile, when asked about the key trends in the 2025 job market, 'activation of AI recruitment' ranked first at 29%. The spread of AI-based recruitment processes is leading to changes in how people prepare for employment. Other major keywords included 'increase in career breaks' (20%) and 'preference for experienced new hires' (17%).
Additionally, 'discussion on introducing a 4.5-day workweek' (13%), 'expansion of AI-driven restructuring' (9%), 'strengthening the development of science and engineering talent' (8%), and 'growing interest in production and blue-collar jobs' (4%) were also noted.
Kim Jeong-hyun, Head of Catch at Jinhaksa, commented, "This survey confirms that Generation Z is becoming more specific in their standards for evaluating leaders, focusing on performance and communication. There is a clear trend toward gaining practical experience under proven leadership and increasing one's market value."
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