On January 2, 2025 (Tuesday), the New Year’s ceremony began with words of gratitude to CEO Jinwoo Kim, who supported a coffee truck event to encourage employees on their first day back at work in 2025.

The ceremony proceeded in the following order: national ceremony and singing of the national anthem, New Year’s greetings, scholarship award ceremony, awards (long service awards and 2024 annual outstanding employee), screening of the New Year’s commemorative video, CEO’s New Year’s address, New Year’s rice cake cutting ceremony, unveiling of the Samkwang Employee Monument, and slogan chant (“Global Samkwang! Let’s make this a year of challenges”).

A total of 15 recipients were selected for the 2024 Semester 1 and 2 scholarship award ceremony (8 university students, 7 daycare/kindergarten students).

In the long service award ceremony, a total of 9 individuals, including domestic and international employees, were recognized for their consistent dedication and responsibility in contributing to the company’s growth. Awards were presented as follows: 25 years (1 individual, a gold plaque equivalent to 5 don worth KRW 2.5 million), 20 years (1 individual, a gold plaque equivalent to 4 don worth KRW 2 million), 15 years (1 individual, a gold plaque equivalent to 3 don worth KRW 1.5 million), and 10 years (6 individuals, each receiving a gold plaque equivalent to 2 don worth KRW 1 million).

For the 2024 Annual Outstanding Employee Award, Yonghoon Choi of the Manufacturing Team, Wintac Business Division, was recognized for his contributions to improving productivity and reducing costs through jig improvements. He received a cash prize of KRW 500,000.

The ceremony included the screening of the 2025 New Year’s commemorative video, offering an opportunity for employees to reaffirm their resolutions for the year.

During the New Year’s address, CEO Jinwoo Kim stated:

“Finally, 2025 has begun. Over the past few days, I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating how we should proceed. At the recent workshop for team leaders and above in Fukuoka, we had discussions on the theme of the ‘Fukuoka Declaration.’ These gatherings usually tend to be quiet, but this time, everyone shared their thoughts, resolutions, and expectations for the company, and I felt confident about Samkwang’s continued growth.

2025 is a critical year for us. If we fail to secure sufficient volume this year, 2026 will be extremely challenging. This year’s efforts will determine the company’s trajectory. We must all push forward with everything we’ve got. As the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee said, ‘Change everything except your wife and children.’ If we give our all, next year will undoubtedly be better.

In markets like India, companies like ours are rare. It’s not that opportunities don’t exist they’re out there waiting for us to discover them. Since the end of last year, we’ve been emphasizing AI. Not only I, but also various media outlets, have identified AI as the dominant topic. Of course, AI isn’t the ultimate solution. The answer lies within us. We must leverage AI’s immense data to make decisions and create value.

This year is a period of accumulation for 2026, which will be a year of expansion. The path won’t be easy, but overcoming these challenges will lead us toward stability next year. Executives, in particular, must work 10 or 20 times harder than before. I’ve seen your determination during the workshop in Japan. These resolutions must persist every day throughout the year, not just for two or three days.

One employee mentioned feeling heartbroken seeing idle production lines and machinery. This responsibility lies with me. When things go well, it’s thanks to you all; when they don’t, it’s my fault. Let’s move forward together. I will lead from the front.

This year, I will work harder and expand activities using broader connections. All I ask is that you support these efforts. Without your support, no amount of effort will be enough. Hard work is now the baseline we must excel to move forward together. Please focus on enhancing your skills and upgrading yourselves.

In 2025, the 52nd year of Samkwang, let’s soar high and spread our wings. I trust you all. Thank you.”

The ceremony concluded with the New Year’s rice cake cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the Samkwang Employee Monument. The monument honors the achievements of Kim Han-yong from the Global HR Support Team of the Korea Business Division, who was awarded the Samkwang Employee Award during the 50th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, December 5, 2024.

<Scholarship Award Ceremony for 2024 Semester 1 and 2>

Soyoung Jo(mother of student Jung Hyunwoo Jung), Taeseop  So(father of student Yueun So), Jinguk Kim(father of student Siyeon Kim), Pyungrae Kang(father of student Jiwon Kang), CEO Jinwoo Kim, Yoonsoo Jung(student of  Euicheon Jung), Sooin Han(student of Executive Director Donggwon Han),Minseo Sohn(student of Samsik Sohn),  Chaeeun Song(student of Executive Director Hoyeol Song)

Hyungtae Kim(father of child Gamin Kim), CEO Jinwoo Kim, Kigeun Kwon(father of child Siyoon Kwon)

<Long Service Awards>

25 Years: CEO Jinwoo Kim, Executive Director Jinyoung Choi

20 Years: CEO Jinwoo Kim, Kiman Kim (proxy award received by Changhoon Lee)

15 Years: Yonghak Lee, Business Unit Manager Youngkwan Kim

10 Years: Taeseop So, Minkyu Seo, CEO Jinwoo Kim, Sangmo Bae,  Sangtaek Lee, Donghyun Kim, Sehyun Kim, Business Unit Manager Youngkwan Kim

<2024 Annual Outstanding Employee Award>

CEO Jinwoo Kim, Yonghoon Choi

<2025 New Year’s Rice Cake Cutting Ceremony>

<Samkwang Employee Monument Unveiling Ceremony>

<Scenes of employees enjoying the coffee truck>