G-MBA holds its own Ko-Yon Jeon …The first battle since the recovery of COVID-19    Ko-Yon Jeon between Korea University and Yonsei University's Global MBA(G-MBA from below) was held at the Kiheung SKYTOP Sports Center in Gyeonggi Province on May 15th (Sun).   This G-MBA Ko-Yon Jeon is an event organized by G-MBA students as two universities, Korea University and Yonsei University, called eternal rivals, failed to hold regular Ko-Yon Jeon for about two years due to COVID-19.  25 members from Korea University and 23 from Yonsei University attended the G-MBA Ko-Yon Jeon, which was held for the first time since the daily recovery of COVID-19, to build mutual networks and promote friendship among the members.   The program included basketball and dodgeball, as well as △three-legged race △ relay △ tug-of-war △ shoe throwing △ mini-game race △ quiz. It consisted of activities that G-MBA members could enjoy passionately and have low risk of injury. The G-MBA Ko-Yeon Jeon ended with Yonsei University's final victory, with the university scoring points assigned for each event.    An event official said, "I am happy to be able to hold a meaningful event now out of the shadow of COVID-19 with G-MBA students from Korea University and Yonsei University which are two very iconic schools," and added, "I hope this event will go beyond competition and become a venue for harmony between the members."

Thank you Teacher…Teacher Appreciation Banquet for Emeritus Professor held   Teacher Appreciation Banquet, which had been withheld for a long time due to COVID-19 was held on May 16th(Mon) at noon. The Teacher Appreciation Banquet is originally a regular event hosted by KUBS to show gratitude towards teachers.    Participants were △Dean Johngseok Bae △Associate Dean Jaeuk Chun△Associate Dean Yongkeun Yoo △Associate Dean Joonho Hwang,△Associate Dean Song-Oh Yoon inviting △Emeritus Professor Ho Jin Kang △Emeritus Professor Dongchul Kim △Emeritus Professor Wansoon Kim △Emeritus Professor Iksoo Kim △Emeritus Professor Sang Koo Nam △Emeritus Professor Hyunggu Moon△Emeritus Professor Myungseop Park △Emeritus Professor Soo Sik Sin △Emeritus Professor Kwan hee Yoo △Emeritus Professor Young-Sup Yun △Emeritus Professor Jang Rho Lee △Emeritus Professor Jin Kyu Lee △Emeritus Professor Kyuseung Hwang.   (In Korean alphabetical order)   Dean Johngseok Bae said, “We were so sorry that we couldn’t see our teachers for a long time due to COVID-19” and “We ask you to continue giving us your generous guidance and attention for the future of KUBS.”  

CDTB Colloquium ends in big success… ‘The virtual world, the beginning of New Commerce- Metacommerce’     The Colloquium hosted by the KUBS (Dean = Johngseok Bae) Center for Digital Transformation & Business (Center Director = Byungcho Kim, hereinafter CDTB) was held on May 20th(Fri) at SUPEX HALL of LG-POSCO Building. The lecture, which was conducted online and offline at the same time, was given by Sooil Kim, the head of LG CNS CX Strategy Group, as a speaker under the theme of "The Virtual World, the Beginning of New Commerce - Metacommerce"   Sooil Kim, group leader, started the lecture saying, "We will introduce what services and commercial purposes real companies use Metaverse, which has recently become a hot topic, and talk about Metacommerce." In the first half of the lecture, he talked about the entire industry explaining the △ 4-types of Metaverse △ Metaverse ecosystem △ Metaverse service areas. He particularly explained, "It is possible to implement various services using metaverse technology for each industry, and the initial metaverse service area which centered on games and entertainment is continuously expanding," and “the most lively area is commerce.”    "Companies are showing movements to expand their services in this area by utilizing metaverse," he followingly said, and explained the development process of the commerce area from e-commerce, which is centered on images and text, to Metacommerce, which uses 3D virtual spaces. “Metacommerce is a new e-commerce method that allows users to experience and purchase products and services in a virtual space. It implements realistic and differentiated services beyond simple interest, while delivering immersive and accurate information to customers by setting directions for the characteristics of each product and service,” he said. In order to implement Metacommerce services, it was mentioned that End-to-End execution power is needed, such as △ channel strategy for Metaverse △ Metacommerce-directed service plan △ connection with platform in which implementation is possible & existing channels △ sustainable operation. "Establishing a metaverse-use platform for each company itself is a starting stage," said group leader Kim. "Role of LG CNS is to proceed with optimized customized platforms with customers and help quickly implement combinations with existing channels."    Because metaverse is a world, customers move along the route in it. "We can collect various customer behavior data by following the customer's movements," group leader Kim said, and "We can upgrade our services through these behavioral data." At the end of the lecture, he explained the process of LG CNS receiving service offerings and producing results through the cases of Shinsegae Department Store METAXSHOP, LG Electronics virtual VR showroom, and LG Chem LETZero. Sooil Kim, group leader, concluded the lecture, saying, "I hope that through this lecture, you will feel that many companies are contemplating about and trying to introduce metaverse." the Colloquium came to an end after 15 minutes of Q&A session.

Work of Lee Ufan, a world-renowned artist, was established at Korea University Business School First among univeristies to install work of Lee Ufan : [Relatum - The Location]   KUBS(Dean=Johngseok Bae) held the installation ceremony of the work of world-renowned artist Lee Ufan(86), [Relatum – The Location](‘Relatum – The Location’ from below) on May 17th(Tue) at 3 p.m..   With his philosophical paintings of dots and lines, Mr.Lee greatly influenced Korean and Japanese contemporary art and has become one of the most renowned artists in the world, placed his new work of ‘Relatum – The Location’ consisting of a 1m 40cm high natural stone and a mirror stainless steel plate measuring 4m and 3m, respectively, high up on the Business School campus. Lee Ufan's work ‘Relatum – The Location’, consists of a form in which a man-made artifact, iron plate, and a stone made by nature, meet through the artist's mediation and talk about mutual ontological relations. For the production of the work, Lee Ufan visited the school's campus in the second half of last year and decided on the concept of the work after four to five months of planning. It is a rare case in Korean universities to have proposed and arranged new works of art by world masters instead of installing commemorative sculptures such as statues. Through the installation of this work, the business university expects students to increase their social and artistic imagination, create new ideas and knowledge with social influence, and foster social leaders who will change the world. The installation event of Work of Lee Ufan consisted of 2 parts, the academic event of Lee Ufan’s art theory in the first part and the unveiling ceremony in the second part.  The first part of the art theory academic event, titled "Life and Art of Lee Ufan," consisted of a lecture by Professor Lee Yong-woo, a chair professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, and a talk with Seo Jin-seok, director of the Ulsan Museum of Art.   Professor Lee Yong-woo explained the significance of Lee Ufan's work, saying, "The core of Lee Ufan's aesthetics is to rebel against the existing artistic concepts and pay attention to the relationship, and sense of location between art and the outside world." He explained, "The ‘Relatum’ exists to induce discussion of problems of political, social, and medical discourse that can arise by the juxtaposition of stone next to iron, one natural and the other not and manufactured, the non-industrial and industrial-social next to each other." He then said, "’Relatum’ gives the feeling of a large stone floating on the lawn, and the clouds, sky, and buildings around it are reflected in the mirror," adding, "It is a work that opens a new place by looking at the clouds and sky symbolizing the non-ordinary universe in the mirror on the lawn symbolizing the ordinary."    Afterwards, a conversation was held with Professor Lee Yong-woo and Seo Jin-seok, director of the Ulsan Museum of Art. The discussion was conducted on five topics which could further enhance understanding of the work: ‘the Lee Ufan’s Art and Monoha Movement’, ‘the 1968 Intellectual Revolution’, ‘Monoha and Arte Povera’, ‘Art and Materialism’, and ‘the Reaction to Relatum and Relational Aesthetics.’   Participants had time to share the meaning of the exhibition through explanations and Q&A sessions using various perspectives such as music, religion, and art history. Through lectures and conversations held before the unveiling ceremony of the work, the event ended successfully by once again presenting the goal of Korea University's business school to add artistic sensibility to the academic arena. In the second part, President of KU, Chung Jin-taek, Dean of Business School, Bae Johngseok, and Professor Lee Yong-woo attended the event to unveil the work after watching the video message sent by the artist Lee Ufan. Through the video message, Lee Ufan talked about the meaning of his work saying, "My work is so simple that it can be called bland. I only used a large natural stone and a stainless steel plate grated to the level of a mirror, and a stone on top of it, but I think my work opens a chapter where through this simple encounter and combination the universal glimmer of one moment that we do not get to feel in our everyday lives is captured and becomes common.” Also, artist Lee Ufan said, "Artists cannot stop wars or make food. But in our lives, we see beautiful flowers for a moment, we see cups with glittering sunlight, we drink delicious water, and we feel like we can connect to nature from the bottom of the human body. I think art is inseparable from human life because I think it is the unique character and specialty of art that creates a small opportunity to enrich and reflect on human life by stopping for a moment and reliving that feeling," emphasizing the importance of art.   Lee Ufan, a living history of Korean contemporary art, recently opened a permanent exhibition hall, Lee Ufan Arles, at Otel de Vernon, France. He is a representative artist who led the Mono-ha movement that rejects the reproducibility of images and interprets things as they are, paying attention to the horizontal and equal relationship between the work, the place it is placed, and the audience looking at it, and is loved by many domestic and foreign audiences through the series of sculptures ‘Relatum’.  

[2022-1 Entrepreneurship Academy NO.2 Lecture Series] ‘What you will experience when starting up a company’   The second round of the 2022-1 Entrepreneurship Lecture series, hosted by KUBS (Dean= Johngseok Bae) Startup Station(Director=Hojung Shin) was held on May 10th(Tue). The special lecture, held via Zoom, was given by CEO of the language data platform ‘Flitto’, Jung-soo Lee on the topic of ‘What you will experience when starting up a company,’ in which about 60 students participated.     CEO Lee started the lecture by saying, “I want to talk about the hard parts of startup rather than shining light on the bright side.” He said, “I was the 1st generation of startups, so I tasted failure and saw how others failed” and “failure of startups can happen to anyone, so it will be meaningful to think about how to prepare for it.” Also CEO Lee made an effort to induce participation of students from the start, saying that “We will have time to address students’ curiosity rather than just talk about what I prepared for the lecture.”   To the question, “I’m curious about why you decided on starting up a company even though there is a powerhouse like Google Translate,” CEO Lee answered with the process of how on 2012 when he decided on starting up a company the translation service was very poor and it has evolved to Google Translate, Papago in 2016 and how Flitto has been converted to B2B, C2C services. He said, “Big enterprises often miss certain details, usually because one sector is widely serviced,” and that “we can specialize and provide service for it.” Furthermore, he said “Currently, all the technologies are provided, so it depends on how we will garner data and make the translation process learn it”, and that “many startups are clinging to those specialized markets” about the current startup trends. “If you have faith, you can endure the period when you don't have sales." Flitto’s management team has set the standards for success as the day when children use Flitto to translate in rural Southeast Asian villages where languages coexist. He said "If you have a belief that you can make the item succeed to the standards you set, you can endure it."   For two hours, questions and answers on various topics such as efficient marketing, profit-generating structure in apps, and laying the foundation after business failure were followed, and active communication was conducted to the extent that students' questions were raised until the end of the lecture. CEO Lee concluded the lecture by saying, "It was a great experience to visit Korea University after a long time, and thank you for listening so well for a long time."    

CDTB Colloquium, “A Prospect of Customer Experience Journey in the Digital Age”   Korea University Business School (Dean=Johngseok, Bae) Center for Digital Transformation & Business (CDTB; Head=Dr. Byung Cho Kim) hosted the CDTB Colloquium on Thursday, April 28, 2022.   In this event, Director Hyunjung Lee of HSAd participated as a keynote speaker and gave a lecture on the topic, “A Prospect of Customer Experience Journey in the Digital Age.” The event, which began at 3:30 PM, consisted of a lecture (60 minutes) and a Q&A session (15 minutes).   Director Hyunjung Lee is in charge of the CXM (Customer Experience Management) Center, which is an organization that derives marketing solutions by analyzing customer experiences. Director Lee specializes in the “Customer Experience Journey,” and is actively working with various companies by suggesting optimal marketing methods using data analysis.   Director Lee started the lecture by saying, “Customers are willing to pay more for a better experience.” Then, she explained the difference between “customer satisfaction,” which measures the customer’s experience after purchasing a product, and “customer experience,” which requires a detailed understanding of the customer journey. Director Lee further emphasized, “Companies should change their perspective and think about ways to provide positive experiences to customers. Understanding customer experience not only requires an analysis of behavioral patterns but also requires an understanding of customer needs and psychology.”     Director Lee continued, “It is no longer possible to differentiate products only with design and functions – and that is where CXM becomes the key.” She mentioned three reasons why CXM is important: △Holistic View, △Fast Activation, and △Performance Driven. She added, “Changes in the online shopping environment have also played an important role. Companies should focus on developing mobile shopping environments, such as UI and payment services.”   Director Lee also explained “7 Keys to Understanding CXM,” which included △identification of customer emotions and behaviors, △creation of services that reflect customer emotions and behaviors, △contact points with customers, △sufficient information and high accessibility, △customer experience-based marketing, △personalization, and △brand positioning. She emphasized the importance of managing customer data in achieving CXM. Next, Director Lee explained real-life examples of how to derive marketing solutions using data. She concluded the lecture by saying, “In order to analyze customer experience well, it is important to have curiosity, manners, and analytical skills.”     In the following Q&A session, students asked many questions regarding topics such as data acquisition process, potential of domestic digital marketing, customer experience of financial services, and mobile phone business. After about 15 minutes of passionate Q&A, the Colloquium came to an end.   Meanwhile, KUBS has established CDTB in 2019 to act as a platform that connects education, research, and industry, while leading digital transformation in the field of education and research. CDTB has been hosting many special lectures since then.