By Kim Tae-gyu
Korean conglomerates, dubbed chaebol, appear to have something to do with the stars — from the name of the groups to their latest products.
Samsung, the name of the country’s primary chaebol, means “three stars” in Korean. Its cross-city rival LG was initially called Goldstar before it changed its name in 1995, and Hyosung means “morning star.” Intriguingly, the founders of these three groups were born in adjacent places in western South Gyeongsang Province in the the 1900s. The three entrepreneurs studied at the same elementary school in Jinju.
“Companies don’t make up their names in a careless manner. They pay close attention in order to generate good corporate titles. Accordingly, it would not be just a coincidence that so many chaebol use stars in their names,” a Seoul analyst said.
“Under Oriental tradition, it is understandable for chaebol founders to love stars, which have been admired here for so long as the representatives of the will of heaven. They would have badly wanted to succeed with the help of heaven.”
The above-mentioned groups have chalked up huge successes. Samsung is an unrivaled conglomerate in Asia’s fourth-largest economy, while LG is a globally-established brand. Hyosung is also one of top contenders domestically.
The large companies’ unusual affection for stars seems to have restarted of late in the advanced industrial segment of mobile handsets — they employ names of stars and nebulas in the highly-competitive field.
Pantech initiated the trend as the Seoul-based handset maker tagged its first-ever smartphone “Sirius,” the brightest star in the night sky. Its sequels are called “Izar,” double stars, and “Vega,” the fifth-brightest one.
Samsung Electronics, the flagship affiliate of the Samsung Group, followed suit since the outfit has come up with the “Galaxy S,” with which the world’s No. 2 cell phone producer hopes will compete against Apple’s iPhone.
“Deep in our minds, we tend to have aspirations for god and the universe. Our smartphones opted for the names of stars to showcase such admiration,” a Pantech spokesman said.
“The Sirius and the Izar have racked up substantial successes up until now. We project the Vega will also hit the jackpot both at home and abroad.”
주요 국내 재벌들이 원래 이름에서부터 최근 생산제품에 이르기까지 별과 상당히 관련이 있는 듯 하다.
국내 최대 재벌인 삼성의 뜻은 한국말로 3개의 별을 뜻한다. 이의 라이벌인 LG는 1995년 이름이 바뀌기 전 “금성”의 머릿자이며 효성은 샛별로 역시 금성이다.
묘하게도 이들 3개 재벌의 창립자는 1900년대 초 경상남도 서부 인근 지역에서 태어나 진주에 있는 동일 초등학교를 다녔다.
서울의 한 분석가는 “회사들은 이름을 함부로 짓지 않으며 좋은 회사명을 위해 온 신경을 기울인다”며 “결과로 재벌들이 사명으로 별을 넣는 것은 우연의 일치는 아니다”고 말했다.
“동양 전통으로 보면 재벌 창립자들이 별을 좋아하는 것은 이해할 만하다. 사실 동양에서 별은 하늘의 뜻을 대변하는 것으로 칭송돼 온지 오래다. 그들은 하늘의 도움으로 성공하기를 몹시 바랬다.”
위에 언급한 3개 재벌은 엄청난 성공을 이뤄냈다. 삼성은 아시아 4대 경대 강국인 한국에서 무적의 1등 재벌이며 LG 또한 세계적으로 자리잡은 브랜드이다. 효성 또한 국내에서 최정상 재벌들 중 하나이다.