By Moon In-seok & Kim Ji-hoon
Global Student Reporters
We had the opportunity to visit some leading banks in South Africa in August. While visiting the banks, we could not help but notice the tight security procedures that were in place at the airport and at individual banks that we visited.
Every entrance at the banks had more than two or three security guards as well as security checkup counters like those at airports. Two of the banks had transparent boxes which looked like public phone boxes for people to enter through for about one or two seconds.
These boxes apparently videotaped the people inside. Needless to say, we were very embarrassed and a little scared with the whole procedure so we were very tense and nervous. It took approximately 25-30 minutes for everyone to pass through the security checkup procedures.
As we were being processed to obtain admission to the guesthouse, we informed the security guards that we were a delegation from South Korea. The guards did not care a bit about anything we had to say.
But as soon as someone in our group said, ``We are from Samsung,’’ the guards suddenly said, ``OK, guys!’’ and permitted us to pass through the security checks without any further questions, procedures or hassle of any kind.
We concluded from our experience at the security checks that South Africans treat Samsung employees differently than citizens from South Korea.
Apparently, South Africans are more aware of Samsung and give preferential treatment to anyone associated with the company.
When we visited the Korean Embassy in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, Nam Kung-whan, an Embassy official expressed his concern to us that South Africans do not know a great deal about South Korea, but are more familiar with companies such as Samsung and LG.
Nevertheless, we were very proud to be from the country where Samsung was founded. Samsung Corporation recently built a new office building in the Medscheme Office Park in Johannesburg. It is located in a very clean and peaceful area in the downtown area.
It has light green colored grass like the color of emeralds that spreads far and wide in the building complex. At the Samsung building, we interviewed Koo Bon-joong, president of the South African division of Samsung Corporation.
We asked Koo questions that focused on Samsung’s name value and its marketing strategy in South Africa. The Johannesburg office is also in charge of the surrounding regions and countries around South Africa such as Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe ― a market with over 140 million people.
Samsung products are known and recognized as the premiere brand with a valuable image in South Africa. Samsung cell phones are ranked 3rd after Nokia and Motorola, but are becoming high-class goods.
However, other Samsung products such as LCD television sets, LCD computer monitors and two-door refrigerators are ranked 1st in the country.
Because of our trip to South Africa and our interview with Koo, we have become more aware of the positive image that many Korean companies enjoy abroad and how hard they have strived to become leading brands in their respective markets.
We have come to recognize how famous and powerful Korean companies such as Samsung and LG are, and how they help to improve the image of South Korea abroad.
Surprisingly, when we heard the news, prior to our trip to South Africa, that Samsung won first place for being the top company worldwide, we responded by saying, ``Oh, well how nice!” We did not think it was a big deal because we believed that companies such as Samsung or LG were no different than the other companies in Korea.
However, because of what we learned from the interviews on our trip, the news about Samsung’s first place prize only increased our new found respect and admiration for the company.
We concluded that because of their success abroad, companies such as Samsung and LG represent Korea in many ways. These companies have in fact become synonymous with Korea, especially in South Africa.
We are increasingly proud of these companies for their hard work to earn money not only for themselves and their employees but also to improve the image of the country.
In conclusion, we want to congratulate the companies and say, ``Great job! Way to go! We’re very proud of you and want to thank you for what you’ve done for our country!’’
Moon In-seok and Kim Ji-hoon attend Seoul Foreign Language High School in Chang-dong, northern Seoul. They wrote the above story after visiting South Africa on a study tour in August.