Hanwha Chairman Kim Seung-youn on Group's 74th Anniversary: "We Must Face Harsh Realities and Respond Head-On"

Emphasized ownership, focus and prioritization, and a spirit of challenge in anniversary address
Urged Hanwha to build AI-based technological competitiveness to become a lasting leader

Kim Seung-youn, chairman of Hanwha Group, stressed the need to face harsh realities and respond head-on as the group marked its 74th anniversary.

According to Hanwha Group on October 11, Chairman Kim said in an anniversary address delivered to employees on October 9, "There is no room for optimism," adding, "We must face harsh realities, including ongoing geopolitical conflicts and rapid changes in the industrial environment at home and abroad."

Kim Seung-youn, chairman of Hanwha Group. Hanwha Group

He added, "Only by finding a way through the many challenges and responding head-on can we prepare Hanwha for the next 100 or 200 years."

Chairman Kim said Hanwha had expanded its businesses from explosives into machinery, petrochemicals, finance, services, energy, defense, maritime industries and, most recently, aerospace. "We must become leaders who create the future in every business sector," he stressed. Hanwha ranked fifth among South Korea's conglomerates this year by total assets.

Chairman Kim emphasized a sense of ownership, focus and prioritization, and a spirit of challenge as the fundamental attitudes required to become leaders who create the future.

"We can entrust our future only to leaders who do not shirk responsibility when a business falls into difficulty or an organization faces a crisis, and who take the lead in finding a way forward," Chairman Kim said.

He also said, "We are operating in an increasingly complex international landscape and a multilayered structure of competition and cooperation," urging the company to "set precise targets and swiftly commit its capabilities."

Chairman Kim said that to move beyond short-term business results and proactively address complex risks, the company must combine strategic flexibility with strong execution.

In particular, Chairman Kim stressed that the indomitable spirit of challenge known as "Hanwha DNA" - the driving force that enabled the company to break through limits set by others in sectors such as defense and maritime industries - is a key asset for leaders who create the future.

Chairman Kim said, "Building AI-based technological competitiveness is also essential to becoming a lasting leader, and it will be possible only with a spirit of challenge that never falters under any circumstances." He added, "We can become leaders in both name and reality only if AI-based technology supports our businesses in finance, machinery and services, as well as in aerospace."

Chairman Kim also emphasized the importance of safety. An explosion occurred at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant in June.

"Great achievements begin with safety, and there is no future without it," he said. "Creating a workplace where employees and their families can all feel secure is a basic quality of leadership and a key priority." He added, "No value can take precedence over safety and life."

He concluded, "I am confident that, together with all of you, Hanwha can create a future from the center of the world that ensures a better life for humanity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.