Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon encouraged her juniors at Seoul National University on Feb. 25, saying "the weapon to combat this era of uncertainty is the power of persistence."
Choi delivered a commencement speech at the 80th graduation ceremony held at Seoul National University's Gwanak Campus in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. "The world you will face as you enter society is changing faster and more intensely than when I graduated," she said. "From now on, how will humanity prove its humanity?"
"Honestly, I don't know the answer either," she continued. "Fortunately, we all have the power of persistence."
Choi emphasized diligence to the graduates. "The power of persistence means the diligence to hold your ground and dig deep to the end when others get bored, anxious, and want to give up," she said. "The world sometimes seems to favor the fast and flashy, but what it needs most are the stubborn people who can endure tedium."
Choi noted that her own life has been a series of trials and errors. "I entered the College of Engineering, but it didn't seem to fit me, so I often wandered over to the College of Social Sciences or the College of Arts," she said. "I was rejected in the interview at the company I most wanted to join. I started my career at Naver, but adapting wasn't easy."
"But looking back, it wasn't all bad. Because things didn't go according to plan, I encountered more opportunities than I could have imagined," she said. "So even if your destination on life's map doesn't seem clear right now, you don't need to feel anxious."
Choi also stressed the importance of consideration and kindness toward others. "In the business world, the generosity to consider others is the greatest talent and a powerful strategy," she said. "The person you can trust at decisive moments, the person who can lead organizations and solve difficult problems, is the person who practices kindness and empathizes with others."
After graduating from Seoul National University, Choi joined Naver in 2005 and worked in communications and marketing. She later studied at Yonsei University and Harvard Law School and worked as a lawyer before taking the helm at Naver in March 2022. She was reportedly selected as the commencement speaker in recognition of her status as a next-generation leader spanning diverse fields from engineering to law.
A total of 5,101 degrees were conferred at the ceremony, including 2,263 bachelor's, 1,925 master's, and 913 doctoral degrees.