Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
LG chief calls on employees to exceed customers' expectations
LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, back row left, poses with LG employees who won awards with their innovative products and ideas during the LG Awards award ceremony held at LG Academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of LG Corp.
By Baek Byung-yeul
LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo emphasized that providing life-changing experiences beyond customers' expectations is the innovation that the conglomerate should pursue, the group said Wednesday.
The conglomerate held the LG Awards Tuesday to honor employees from various fields who have innovated customer experiences with original products, technologies and services last year.
The award ceremony was an event where a diverse panel of consumers, ranging from people in their 20s to stay-at-home spouses, office workers and juries of LG, evaluated the innovative efforts LG employees made in the past year to realize consumer value, a quality the LG chairman has been emphasizing.
"The LG Awards recognize how our customers value the differentiated innovations that we have introduced. I hope that all of the innovations that took home awards continue to evolve and reach more customers so that more people can enjoy the same great experiences," the chairman said in his congratulatory address to the winners.
He added that it is crucial for LG Group employees to deliver innovations that exceed expectations and that the value needs to be recognized by customers.
"It's not just about having the world's first or the latest technology or the best product or service," the chairman added. "It's about giving customers new and incomparable experiences and changing their lives in ways they never imagined."
"That's what sets us apart, and that's what the LG Awards are all about — celebrating innovations that truly make a difference."
LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, front, congratulates winners at the LG Awards at LG Academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of LG Corp.
Now in its sixth year, the LG Awards have produced 405 teams and over 3,300 winners so far. Created in 2019 following Koo's inauguration, the awards reflect the LG chief's management philosophy.
This year's LG Awards celebrated 98 teams and 724 winners, including recipients of top prizes such as the Customer Impression Grand Award, given to four teams, the Customer Satisfaction Award, given to 46 teams, and the Customer Empathy Award, given to 48 teams.
The group said it selected the winners by thoroughly examining the products or services from the customer's perspective, considering their unique value propositions and impact.
"A standout example is the LG Signature OLED M development team, which was honored with the Customer Impression Grand Award," the group said. "Recognizing the inconvenience of tangled wires associated with traditional TVs, the team revolutionized home entertainment with a wireless OLED TV that eliminates all wires except for power."
In the individual category, LG added Choi Seong-Deok, who works for LG Chem's life science company, won the Customer Impression Grand Award for proactively responding to supply chain disruption of essential fertility drugs, ensuring that customers could receive scheduled treatments in a timely manner.