Chey Tae-won: "If I Were in My 20s Again, I'd Definitely Start a Business and Take on Social Problems"

Engages with young people on EBS's "Great Minds"
"Problem-solving experience matters more than a college degree"
Urges young people to take on challenges in the AI era and offers solutions for national growth

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won urged young people to take on challenges to solve social problems, saying, "If I were in my 20s again, I would definitely start a business."

SK Group Chairman Choi Taewon is giving a lecture to young people on EBS's "Great Minds."

According to SK Group on October 18, Chey appeared on Season 6 of EBS's "Great Minds," which aired from October 12 to 16, and shared his thoughts on changes in employment in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the qualities future talent will need, and ways to drive national growth.

The first Korean business leader to appear on the program, Chey gave three lectures on "AI, New Capitalism and Young People" and answered questions from young people on two occasions.

Asked, "If you could go back to your 20s, what would you want to take on?" Chey said, "I would use every means and method available to solve the most difficult problems facing South Korea or humanity, or problems that affect many people who are suffering." He cited water shortages, carbon emissions and food shortages as problems he would like to address.

He advised young people to start by solving small problems around them rather than aiming for grand goals. "Start by solving small problems within your reach. As you build on those experiences, you can develop increasingly larger solutions," he said.

On changes in employment in the age of AI, Chey predicted that the very concept of a job would change. He explained that AI could reduce tasks that previously took eight hours to just one to two hours, giving individuals the freedom to use their extra time as they wish or choose other work.

On the future of education, he stressed that hands-on experience solving real-world problems would matter more than a college degree. "Schools need to become places where students find new ways to solve problems, take on challenges themselves and experiment," Chey said. "The ability to define problems and ask questions, the capacity to think and empathize, and an attitude that is not afraid of failure will become even more important."

He identified four key competencies for future talent: the ability to think, empathy, adaptability and bodily skills. In particular, he stressed the importance of being able to define problems independently, understand people and find solutions, saying, "AI is a tool that enhances intelligence, but intelligence is not the same as wisdom."

Chey also outlined his vision for a national growth strategy. He identified speed, scale and safety—the "3S"—as key requirements for securing AI competitiveness. He also emphasized the need for a new economic ecosystem that measures and rewards results achieved through solving social problems.

He proposed expanding economic cooperation between South Korea and Japan through a bilateral economic partnership. Chey said that the two countries could form a market worth approximately US$6 trillion if they developed into an economic community, and that they should strengthen cooperation in areas including energy, AI, healthcare, tourism and startups.

"Ultimately, I think this is about designing a new nation that can grow again," Chey said. "If you, the young people, come up with new ideas and think things through together, we can brighten South Korea's future."

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