Outgoing chapter president reflects on tenure, cites all-Japan next-generation trade school as career highlight
"They say the ground hardens after rain, but new fruit does not come from simply sitting still. You have to dig channels and till the soil to reap a harvest. I wanted to build a chapter that could offer even small help to its members."
Jung Kyung-won, president of the World Korean Business Network (World-Okta) Tokyo chapter, shared those words in an interview Thursday as Jung prepares to step down at the end of December.
"More than anything, I tried to ensure that members could take away at least one more thing, even in small ways," Jung said. "There were many shortcomings, but it was a time when the president and the executive team constantly asked ourselves what we could do for the members."
Jung added that the years leading the chapter had been a personally enriching experience. "There is still much to be done, but I hope the experience we have accumulated will be passed on positively to the next executive team," Jung said.
Jung previously served as secretary-general of the Tokyo chapter before taking on the presidency. While running a business in Japan, Jung has been involved in fostering exchanges among Korean business people, supporting the entry of South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises into the Japanese market, and nurturing the next generation of Korean entrepreneurs.
When asked which project from the tenure stood out most, Jung pointed to the 2026 All-Japan Next-Generation Integrated Trade School, held in Tokyo in July.
"Being able to host the trade school in Tokyo was personally the most rewarding part of my term," Jung recalled. "About 100 people, including chapter members, gathered together for a major event, and it gave everyone a chance to gain a wide range of experiences."
"There were periods when chapter activities had somewhat stagnated, but preparing for and successfully carrying out a large-scale event together confirmed that new possibilities exist," Jung said. "I believe that experience will serve as an important foundation for the Tokyo chapter's future development."
The next-generation trade school is a program that provides practical education in trade and entrepreneurship to young Korean overseas residents while helping them build business networks. The Tokyo chapter also organized a next-generation member exchange event with the Chiba chapter in May, creating additional networking opportunities for young Korean business people in Japan.
The chapter also pursued industry-academia cooperation to support South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises entering the Japanese market. On Oct. 28 last year, the Tokyo chapter signed an MOU with Catholic Kwandong University at Songdo Convensia in Incheon to promote global industry-academia collaboration.
Jung graduated from Masan Happo High School and Seoul National University's Department of Applied Bioscience and Chemistry, and serves as chief executive of Cross World Co. in Japan. Jung has also served as an advisory committee member of the Japan Eastern Council of the National Unification Advisory Council and as a member of the Japan Regional Council of Unification Education Commissioners. In October 2023, Jung received a commendation from the president of KOTRA at the 27th World Korean Business Convention.
The message Jung left for the incoming executive team centered on the same theme: the tangible growth of members. The organization's activities, Jung said, must translate into stronger individual capabilities and concrete business opportunities for each member.
"Members need to be able to feel, through World-Okta, that they are growing," Jung said. "As an organization made up of people, there will inevitably be shortcomings, but the top priority must always be cooperation and finding ways to benefit all members."
"I hope the experience and achievements built up so far will lead to even greater results going forward," Jung said. "I look forward to seeing a changed and grown new World-Okta Tokyo chapter in 2027 and 2028."
To the members and executive team who served alongside Jung, the outgoing president expressed gratitude: "I was able to come this far because so many people helped me. I am deeply grateful for everything, and I will never forget that."
"What matters is not activity for the sake of the organization itself, but the shared growth of both the individual and the community they belong to," Jung said. "I hope everyone will continue to work together so that we can help one another and grow as a whole."
sjkim@heraldcorp.com
