50 billion won donation to SNU AI center, Interview with CEO of Daeduck Electronics Jungsik Kim

Daeduck Electronics CEO Jungsik Kim, who donated 50 billion won for the establishment of SNU AI(Artificial Intelligence) center, is currently hospitalized in a university hospital due to his old age. The day before the donation ceremony, we visited him at the hospital and he told us to meet him at a meeting room. He said that it would be rude to meet a guest in a hospital room. When CEO Kim came in the meeting room in a wheelchair, he apologized for not being able to stand up to greet us. Although he was wearing a patient gown on the bottom, he wore a shirt and a jacket on the top. His son Youngjae Kim, president of Daeduck Electronics, also accompanied him.

CEO Jungsik Kim is explaining the motivation behind the donation of 50 billion won to SNU at a university hospital in Seoul on the 17th. CEO Kim revealed that he decided to make a donation after reading the article about MIT’s innovation written in the ‘Running World-University’ section (Small photo) of our January 1st newspaper.

-Why the AI (Artificial Intelligence) center?“
The main product of our company PCB (printed circuit board) is sensitive to changes in technology. Starting from black-and-white TVs, it is now also used in smartphones. It was important to catch up with the changes in products and the market so we tried to be the first to read the market change for the last 50 years. We thought that industries of the fourth industrial revolution with AI as the core technology is the path to follow. Then, it occured to me that the schools should not be the same as before.”

-What was the motivation behind the donation?
“The essence of the fourth industrial revolution is AI and I was concerned whether Korea had a proper AI research facility. When I read the article from Chosun Ilbo, I thought, ‘This is it’! Our company does make hardware components, but it is only the name 'hardware' that remains, the concept of hardware has disappeared. All fields should be integrated with software. At the same time, there was a request from SNU College of Engineering for help to build an AI center. I have aged now and wanted to put in everything I have for the last time, so I decided to make a donation.”
His son president Youngjae Kim added. “He called me after reading an article about the establishment of an AI Department in MIT of the United States written in the Chosun Ilbo on January 1st. He said that other countries are going far ahead and that we cannot postpone the decision until leaving the hospital. He decided to make a donation for the AI center in the hospital room.
President Kim said, “My father usually reads Japan’s economics newspaper and engineering magazines and he often said that our electronics industry has come to an end. He said that we should not simply imitate what others make but make a breakthrough.” CEO Kim nodded while listening to him.

-We heard that things were not easy during university?
“My father passed away when I was 19. It was just me and my three younger sisters left. During university, I had to take a few semesters off to work as a hotel waiter. I was able to get a job after explaining about my situation to the manager of Chosun Hotel who was our neighbor. In the year of the war, I managed to barely pay for my tuition with the help from others. So I went to university with the 6th batch but graduated with the 12th.”
When he talked about the time he had to go to the army leaving his sister behind, he could not continue for a while and showed tears.

-You have made several donations to the field of science and engineering.
“I was conscripted with my university professors, seniors, juniors, and friends when the 6.25 war broke out. I received training at the Air Force Academy and served as a communication officer at an army in Daegu. I opened my eyes to technology there. After I completed my army service, I started a business while my alumni became scholars. They asked for help saying, “You have a business so please help us with the conferences,” so I sponsored them with conference operating expenses. The interest rate was high back then, so I decided to establish a foundation to provide continuous support.
CEO Kim decided the name of the foundation as ‘Haedong Science Culture Foundation.’ Haedong(海東)) is the title(Ho, 號) of CEO Kim’s father. “My father got sick and passed away when things went wrong after lending money to someone else while holding debt.” CEO Kim said, “When I had to decide the name of the foundation, the word ‘Haedong’ just came to my mind.”

-Do you have a criterion when you decide on donations?
I only see the ‘give’ part in ‘give and take’. However, I make sure that the donation is utilized well. I used to make visits myself to the Haedong Libraries (built with my donations) in engineering colleges around the country.”

-What is your future plan?
“I have been observing the development of Korea’s electronics industry since the era of vacuum tubes when even professors did not know what PCB was. I do not know completely how the future is going to be. However, I think that it was good timing to make a decision (to make a donation for the AI center) before it was too late. Buildings founded with the donation are never going to be a memorial building for me. The world is changing rapidly with AI and I wish SNU can make good use of it.”

Source: https://ee.snu.ac.kr/community/news?bm=v&bbsidx=48482
Translated by Kyungjin Lee, English Editor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, jin11542@snu.ac.kr