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Huh Chang-soo FKI Chairman |
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Han Duck-soo Chairman of KITA |
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Chung Eui-sun Vice chairman of Hyundai Motor |
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Lee Mi-kyung Vice chairwoman of CJ Group |
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Koo Ja-young CEO of SK Innovation |
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Kim Jae-yeol President of Samsung Engineering |
According to the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), some 30 Korean business leaders will attend the meeting, better known as the Davos Forum.
They include Huh Chang-soo, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries; Han Duck-soo, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association; Chung Eui-sun, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Lee Mi-kyung, vice chairwoman of CJ Group; Koo Ja-young, CEO of SK Innovation; and Kim Jae-yeol, president of Samsung Engineering.
On the eve of the forum on Jan. 21, the delegation will host a "Korea Night," at which it will present both Korean culture and cutting-edge technology.
The FKI will organize the event along with Korean conglomerates such as Samsung, Hanwha and SK.
The Korea Night, which celebrates its sixth edition this year, will be attended by 400 international business leaders including Lloyd's Chairman John Nelson, Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund President Takahiro Mitani, Fluor CEO David Seaton and JPMorgan Chase International Chairman Jacob A. Frenkel.
"At the event, we will promote our creative economy to the world," an FKI official said. "We will introduce out best invention, "Hangeul" or the Korean alphabet, the Korean cultural wave and Korean cuisine. Also, we will share Koreans' creativity and Korean values, focusing on the nation's high technology."
A creative economy is one of the major goals that President Park Guen-hye wants to achieve over her five-year tenure. The concept is developing the economy through convergence between information technology and other businesses. Park will also attend the event.
Singer-rapper Psy, an icon of the Korean wave and also an example of the creative economy, will perform at the event according to the FKI.
CJ vice Chairwoman Lee will also present Korean cuisine to international guests at the event. CJ has a firm that has launched Bibigo, a restaurant chain brand specializing in bibimbap, or rice mixed with vegetables.
The night will be a chance for her to promote the brand as she is known to be keen on globalizing Korean cuisine as well as developing and distributing cultural content.
The Davos Forum is important for local groups as they can meet business, political, academic and other leaders of society and build global networks with them.
In this regard, more and more third generation members of chaebol families are to join the event to represent their conglomerate, showing their growing roles in the management succession process.
For example, Chung Eui-sun, the only son of Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, and Kim Dong-kwan, an executive at Hanwha Q-Cells and the eldest son of group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, will attend the forum this year again on behalf of their fathers.
Kim is expected to promote the group's new growth engine, solar power.
The group, as a strategic partner of the forum, donated a solar module to the city of Davos last year.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Gun-hee's second son-in-law and Samsung Engineering President Kim Jae-yeol is also one of the third generation.
SK Innovation CEO Koo Ja-young and SK Planet CEO Seo Jin-woo will also join the forum to put forward a new global strategy on behalf of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.
Chey had attended the forum for 16 years since 1998 but he cannot participate in this year's event as he has been sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement.