"You've got ambition."
Laughter erupted at a Blue House business roundtable when Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung nearly sat in President Lee Jae-myung's seat. The unintentional attempt to take the head position turned the venue into a sea of laughter before the meeting even began.
President Lee held the "Business Roundtable for Youth Employment and Regional Investment Expansion" at the Blue House on Friday, gathering heads of Korea's top 10 conglomerates. Attendees included Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Vice Chairman Chey Chang-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung, LG Chairman Kwang-mo Koo, Lotte Chairman Dong-bin Shin, POSCO Chairman Chang-hwa Jang, Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, HD Hyundai Chairman Ki-sun Chung, GS Chairman Huh Tae-soo, and Hanjin Chairman Cho Won-tae.
The viral moment occurred just before the meeting started. Chairman Chung, who entered the conference room slightly late, greeted other business leaders and naturally moved to sit in an empty chair. That chair happened to be the president's seat. Those nearby burst into laughter upon realizing the situation, with someone quipping, "You've got ambition." Chung quickly grasped the situation and moved to the seat next to President Lee, who entered shortly after, allowing the roundtable to proceed as scheduled.
When video of the scene was released, online reactions poured in. Comments included "The atmosphere looks great," "Turns out Chairman Chung is an ambitious character," and "A brief but legendary moment."
The roundtable, which opened with laughter, soon moved to substantive matters. Federation of Korean Industries Chairman Ryu Jin announced that the top 10 conglomerates plan to invest approximately 270 trillion won ($198 billion) in regional areas over the next five years. "We will concentrate investment in strategic industries including semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence, and carbon-neutral infrastructure," Ryu said. If realized, the plan is expected to generate 525 trillion won in production-inducing effects and 221 trillion won in value-added effects over five years.
Hiring plans were also disclosed. According to Presidential Communications Secretary Lee Kyu-yeon, major conglomerates plan to hire a total of 51,600 new employees this year, with approximately 66 percent being entry-level positions. This represents an increase of 2,500 from last year. By company, the figures include Samsung with 12,000, SK with 8,500, LG with 3,000, POSCO with 3,300, and Hanwha with 5,780.
Samsung Chairman Jay Y. Lee reportedly said, "Samsung Electronics' operating performance has improved significantly, giving us more capacity to hire this year." President Lee urged the business leaders to "actively consider regional youth when making new hires."