Keynote address at 2026 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition demo day

Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu delivers a keynote address on the theme of "Expansion toward the Infinite" at the 2026 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition demo day, held Wednesday at the COEX auditorium in Seoul. [Krafton]
Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu delivers a keynote address on the theme of "Expansion toward the Infinite" at the 2026 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition demo day, held Wednesday at the COEX auditorium in Seoul. [Krafton]

Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu drew on his own entrepreneurial journey Wednesday to argue that choosing to step beyond familiar boundaries is what unlocks new possibilities.

Chang delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition demo day, held Wednesday at the COEX auditorium in Seoul, under the theme "Expansion toward the Infinite." Krafton announced the speech Thursday. Chang's central message: resisting the pull of comfortable surroundings — and sometimes having the courage to walk away — can open far greater opportunities.

The competition, organized by the Asan Nanum Foundation, is in its 15th year. This year's theme of "Infinite" draws on a well-known saying by Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung: "Human potential is limitless."

In his remarks, Chang said that it is precisely human finitude that compels people to contemplate limitless possibility. Among the choices that created new opportunities in his own life, Chang singled out "giving up" as the most pivotal.

Chang described how, as a university student, he had pushed himself hard in mathematics before recognizing his limits and changing course. The years of effort he poured into club activities and software development afterward became the foundation for his growth, Chang said.

Chang also shared his experience co-founding Neowiz, saying the joy of building something together with colleagues drove both deep focus and personal growth. The decision to leave the company after roughly a decade, Chang said, was itself part of the search for new possibilities.

Chang said the trial and error Krafton encountered while launching the game TERA in North America proved a crucial turning point in understanding global markets — and that the experience accumulated during that process became the basis for recognizing the potential of PUBG: Battlegrounds.

Chang also outlined plans for Krafton's future, saying the company is pursuing new AI projects beyond its existing work in games and physical AI.

"I, too, am working to step outside my own comfort zone and open up more possibilities," Chang said. "I hope each of you will use this competition as a chance to expand your own potential even further."


sjpark@heraldcorp.com