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Sigong Tech CEO tells students to become imagineers

Writer : Communications Team
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Date : 2016-10-31

Sigong Tech CEO tells students to become imagineers
KU alumnus provides advice on entrepreneurship in a special lecture

Ki-seok Park (German Language and Literature ‘69), the CEO of Sigong Tech, was invited to deliver a special lecture at KU π-Ville 99 Building A on October 20. The theme of the special lecture was “Be an Imagineer.” Park established Sigong Tech, the first company in Korea to specialize in exhibition and culture, in 1988 and saw success in directing various events at museums, science centers and exhibition centers. He is also the founder of Sigong Munhwa, Sigong Media and Sigong Education. Through the lecture, Park offered advice on launching start-up companies and shared his thoughts on the qualities of a good leader.

Park began the lecture with the founding of Sigong Tech, saying that he had “many real-world stories to share based on experiences over the past 30 years.” The word “imagineer,” which he saw on someone’s business card 20 years ago in the United States, left a deep impression on him. He said, “Imagination and creativity are valuable qualities in the age of the fourth industrial revolution. Even if you’re not an entrepreneur, it is important to live proactively, passionately and creatively.” He added, “I have many regrets from doing business. I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on the past and talk about the leadership of entrepreneurs.”

Park spoke about his childhood and described himself as an optimistic kid. He earned the capital to launch Sigong Tech through trade after the company that he worked for went bankrupt. “I wanted to start a company in a field that no one had attempted. Based on my overseas experience, I helped to plan the laser show for the 1988 Olympics. This success allowed me to build a good reputation and participate in similar events.” Sigong Tech has become a leader in exhibition planning with its extensive portfolio, including the Yeosu Expo’s Big-O Show, a laser show in China and the eagle show of the National Museum of Kazakhstan. Park explained, “Sigong Tech is specializing in difficult fields.

Exhibitions involve the convergence of technology and the arts, and we must strive to be the first of its kind each time. The company had a lot of debt until the late 1990s because of low demand in the Korean market. My love and passion for the field kept me going, and Sigong Tech is now recognized as No. 1 in the world.”

Next, Park shared the story behind Sigong Culture, a company with 240 patents on the preservation of cultural property. Some mistakes he made at the time of founding his company included “poor market survey, lack of global goals, treating business like a hobby, focusing on artistic value over profitability, loss of data and the lack of spin-off companies.” As for Sigong Media and Sigong Education, he picked “the lack of research on content archiving, lack of cooperation with other companies, poor marketing plans, lack of bi-directionality, poor awareness of big data, poor awareness of content internationalization and lack of preparations for spin-off companies.” He strongly encouraged students to target the global market from the start, instead of limiting themselves to the local market.

Park also mentioned the virtues one should possess as an entrepreneur. He mentioned, “You must dream of being a leader, be reliable and never stop learning. Your dream must not be abstract; you should have specific goals. You must be reliable to achieve effective collaboration. Lastly, you must continuously push yourself to learn. Be aware of the latest trends in your field and keep yourself up-to-date. This is what I learnt from running my own company.” He provided the following tips to those dreaming of becoming entrepreneurs: ⓵ Business is not an experiment. ⓶ Choose a field you can truly enjoy. ⓷ Practice scientific thinking and analysis. ⓸ Target large markets outside the country. ⓹ Recognize the importance of financial planning and knowledge. ⓺ Know how to collaborate. ⓻ Always think of the future.

Park’s lecture ended with an important message on the first mover, last mover and imagineer. He said, “The first mover is the founder of a certain business. The last mover can easily overtake the first mover in terms of time and money, but creativity is essential for success. The first mover is always a step ahead, and it is the first mover who writes history. In addition, you must become creative imagineers with user-oriented thinking. Many have failed because of this. Without user-oriented thinking, you will be easily overtaken by the last mover.”

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