Selected Speeches
Dr. Leeserved as the President of SNU from 2006 to 2010. These are selected speeches during his presidency.
Global HR Forum (Nov. 9, 2006)
HIT: 9746
Welcoming Remarks
At the Global HR Forum 2006
President Jang-Moo Lee
Grand InterContinental Hotel
November 9, 2006
Ladies & Gentlemen and Distinguished Guests,
Good evening, everyone. It is my great pleasure to meet all of you and our many distinguished guests this evening. Especially, my heartfelt welcome goes to Gwang-Jo Kim, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, President Byung-Doo Shin of Sogang University, President Chan-Mo Park of Pohang University of Science and Technology, Chairman Young-Key Hwang of Woori Financial Group, President Sang-Min Shin of Korea Economic Daily who generously sponsored this forum, and our foreign participants, Barbara Ischinger, Director of Education at OECD, George D. Peterson, Executive Director at Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Gary Mathews, Director at Investors in People, Professor Walter W. McMahon from University of Illionis and finally, Professor Gary A. Gabriele, Dean of College of Engineering at Villanova University. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how moving and impressive all of your presentations were, opening up new vistas of knowledge. I’m sure that all of us here today enjoyed the intellectual festivities of this forum, and my congratulations to the committee of the Global HR Forum for coordinating such a successful forum, the first to be held in Seoul, Korea.
I took up my post as the President of Seoul National University in July of this year. I must admit what a daunting task it is to be given the privilege of carrying out this work. In this fast-paced world we’re living in today, the elite universities all over the world are thrown into competition with one another to create the fountain of national wealth through the production of cutting-edge studies, and structural and curriculum reforms. As such, the university is regarded as the beacon leading the world into a creation of new civilization based on harmony and peace. Seoul National University is no exception, of course, and SNU is dedicated towards transforming into one of the leading universities in the world.
For this to be possible, I believe the development of new human resources with both creative and imaginative abilities and capacities should be at the forefront. In the current world of knowledge-based society, knowledge can be born only through the development of new human resources. John Maynard Keynes has once noted, “The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else.” (Keynes, General Theory) Now, Keynes couldn’t be more right about the recognition that knowledge and ideas matter. In fact, ideas and knowledge are powerfully transformative.
But at the same time, in this era of globalization, we must embrace cultural diversity and the voices of the marginalized?economic, political and social. The elite of the new 21st-century must be ready to abide by not only the rules of fair competition but also to dedicate oneself to and make sacrifices for the community. In other words, the development of new human resources must accompany an eye towards the pursuit of equality. In our world of interdependence, the elite must take on the full responsibility of the role of a citizen. And more than ever before, this spirit of phronesis-wisdom in praxis-looms large in our horizon.
No one can deny that globalization is the engine fuelling the world economy and politics today; however, this does not mean that the polarization of rich and poor must be taken for granted. If globalization structures our lives today, this globalization must be one which creates mutual prosperity, guaranteeing a fair distribution of the fruits of our labor. This is why university education is essential in nurturing the spirit of openness, communication and harmony. Only when the various disciplines, universities and corporations, universities and communities, and universities and non-academic institutions meet and merge into a vast sea of shared network, will this be possible. And I believe this spirit imbues the Global HR Forum today.
My dear distinguished guests! Our future surely lies in developing valuable human resources. It is time for us to put more effort into tapping the well of hidden human resources, which will in turn lead us into a more mature society of peace and harmony. In this respect, Korean universities must be more attentive to the development of human capitals and universities in developing countries, regardless of cultural differences. Who can deny that this in fact is the duty of the noblesse oblige? It is my sincere wish and hope that all of us who share the same vision in the development of universities all over the world will continue on in a collaborative spirit. And I hope that the Global HR forum will break new grounds as a pioneer in this important work.
I’d like to close by again expressing my gratitude to our distinguished guests, and I hope you all enjoy the evening, in celebration of the spirit of this forum.
Thank you.
At the Global HR Forum 2006
President Jang-Moo Lee
Grand InterContinental Hotel
November 9, 2006
Ladies & Gentlemen and Distinguished Guests,
Good evening, everyone. It is my great pleasure to meet all of you and our many distinguished guests this evening. Especially, my heartfelt welcome goes to Gwang-Jo Kim, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, President Byung-Doo Shin of Sogang University, President Chan-Mo Park of Pohang University of Science and Technology, Chairman Young-Key Hwang of Woori Financial Group, President Sang-Min Shin of Korea Economic Daily who generously sponsored this forum, and our foreign participants, Barbara Ischinger, Director of Education at OECD, George D. Peterson, Executive Director at Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Gary Mathews, Director at Investors in People, Professor Walter W. McMahon from University of Illionis and finally, Professor Gary A. Gabriele, Dean of College of Engineering at Villanova University. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how moving and impressive all of your presentations were, opening up new vistas of knowledge. I’m sure that all of us here today enjoyed the intellectual festivities of this forum, and my congratulations to the committee of the Global HR Forum for coordinating such a successful forum, the first to be held in Seoul, Korea.
I took up my post as the President of Seoul National University in July of this year. I must admit what a daunting task it is to be given the privilege of carrying out this work. In this fast-paced world we’re living in today, the elite universities all over the world are thrown into competition with one another to create the fountain of national wealth through the production of cutting-edge studies, and structural and curriculum reforms. As such, the university is regarded as the beacon leading the world into a creation of new civilization based on harmony and peace. Seoul National University is no exception, of course, and SNU is dedicated towards transforming into one of the leading universities in the world.
For this to be possible, I believe the development of new human resources with both creative and imaginative abilities and capacities should be at the forefront. In the current world of knowledge-based society, knowledge can be born only through the development of new human resources. John Maynard Keynes has once noted, “The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else.” (Keynes, General Theory) Now, Keynes couldn’t be more right about the recognition that knowledge and ideas matter. In fact, ideas and knowledge are powerfully transformative.
But at the same time, in this era of globalization, we must embrace cultural diversity and the voices of the marginalized?economic, political and social. The elite of the new 21st-century must be ready to abide by not only the rules of fair competition but also to dedicate oneself to and make sacrifices for the community. In other words, the development of new human resources must accompany an eye towards the pursuit of equality. In our world of interdependence, the elite must take on the full responsibility of the role of a citizen. And more than ever before, this spirit of phronesis-wisdom in praxis-looms large in our horizon.
No one can deny that globalization is the engine fuelling the world economy and politics today; however, this does not mean that the polarization of rich and poor must be taken for granted. If globalization structures our lives today, this globalization must be one which creates mutual prosperity, guaranteeing a fair distribution of the fruits of our labor. This is why university education is essential in nurturing the spirit of openness, communication and harmony. Only when the various disciplines, universities and corporations, universities and communities, and universities and non-academic institutions meet and merge into a vast sea of shared network, will this be possible. And I believe this spirit imbues the Global HR Forum today.
My dear distinguished guests! Our future surely lies in developing valuable human resources. It is time for us to put more effort into tapping the well of hidden human resources, which will in turn lead us into a more mature society of peace and harmony. In this respect, Korean universities must be more attentive to the development of human capitals and universities in developing countries, regardless of cultural differences. Who can deny that this in fact is the duty of the noblesse oblige? It is my sincere wish and hope that all of us who share the same vision in the development of universities all over the world will continue on in a collaborative spirit. And I hope that the Global HR forum will break new grounds as a pioneer in this important work.
I’d like to close by again expressing my gratitude to our distinguished guests, and I hope you all enjoy the evening, in celebration of the spirit of this forum.
Thank you.