1. Please introduce yourself to us. What kind of work do you do?
Alumnus Gi-dae Kwon)
I am Gi-dae Kwon, and I enrolled in the Department of Economics in 1972. After graduating and serving in the military, I began my career at Morgan Bank in the United States. After a brief stint at Standard Chartered, I moved to a Korean company and was mainly in charge of international projects. This allowed me to experience various industries in the U.S., Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Europe, and I was able to start my own company in Hong Kong at a young age. Then, I returned to Korea and have been running a publishing company called Vega Books for 18 years.
Alumnus Yong-bin Han) My name is Yong-bin Han, and I entered the College of Business Administration in 1984. I joined the Hyundai Group, more specifically Hyundai Motors, right after graduation in 1988 and have worked there ever since. My focus is on financial accounting, tax, and funding, and now I am also in charge of group compliance.
Alumnus Hyo-il Moon) I entered the College of Business Administration in 1989 and currently serve as the CEO of Carrot General Insurance, Korea’s first and biggest digital insurance company.
Carrot General Insurance is a digital insurance company jointly founded by Hanwha Group, Hyundai Motors, SKT, STIC, and Altos in 2019. It is known for launching monthly pay-per-mile auto insurance and providing AI accident care service that automatically detects accidents, which led the company to surpass two million auto insurance contracts in just four years. More recently, we launched the “Good Drive Special Offer with Discounts,” which allows customers who lack the safety driving points required for discounts to receive a 20% discount if they buy the insurance product and drive safely.
We hope to become a digital insurance company that uses various digital technologies and data analysis techniques to provide safe care for customers at a reasonable price.
Student Geon-woo Park) Hello, I am Geon-woo Park, and I entered the College of Business Administration in 2019. I am the student president of Sangsonghoe.

2. Please introduce Sangsonghoe to the readers.
Alumnus Hyo-il Moon) Sangsonghoe was started in 1956 by three seniors, Chang-geun Ahn, Chi-gwan Seok, and Gong Na, who founded Sangsonghoe for students with support from Master Woongyu at Cheung Do Kwan.
The mission of Sangsonghoe is to foster camaraderie between seniors, juniors, and fellow students based on the physical strength and the unyielding spirit gained through Taekwondo. As graduates, the goal is to encourage students to exercise and devote ourselves to the nation and workplace with the spirit of Taekwondo we developed during university and to promote Taekwondo and the Korean culture and spirit abroad whenever possible.
Notable alumni include Chang-su Ji (BBA ‘55, former deputy head of the National Tax Service), Jae-hyung Hong (BBA ‘56, former Minister of Finance, member of the National Assembly), Gyung-sang Park (BBA ‘57, former head of the National Tax Service), Gong-il Sa (BBA ‘58, former Minister of Finance), Tae-sik Seo (BBA ‘58, CEO of Samil PwC), Nyum Jin (BBA ‘59, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy), Chang-ryeol Lim (BBA ‘62, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy), Young-tak Lee (BBA ‘65, former head of the Office of the Prime Minister), Dong-sung Cho (BBA ‘67, Professor), and Seok-joo Hong (BBA ‘72, former President of Joheung Bank). There are many other CEOs of conglomerates and founders of medium enterprises.
Former presidents of Sangsonghoe include Hui-yong Moon (BBA ‘55), Chang-geun Ahn (BBA ‘56), Jae-hyung Hong (BBA ‘56, two-terms), Gong-muk Na (BBA ‘56), Byung-seo Lee (BBA ‘56), Eun-hak Lee (BBA ‘57), Pyung Shin (BBA ‘57), Won-haeng Bong (BBA ‘58), Seong-gi Park (BBA ‘58), Gong-il Sa (BBA ‘58), Yong-dae Park (BBA ‘59), Nyum Jin (BBA ‘59), Chung-nam Son (BBA ‘62), Hak-gap Lee (BBA ‘62), Jeong-woong Jegal (BBA ‘65, two-terms), Hee-won Lee (BBA ‘65, two-terms), Sam-tae Yoo (BBA ‘70), Beong-eun Yoon (BBA ‘72), Hyeong-geun Yang (BBA ‘75), Pil-hyun Oh (BBA ‘79), and Yong-bin Han (BBA ‘84). Professor Bong-ho Kim has been our advisor for a long time, followed by Professors Byung-gu Shim, Woo-jin Joo, and Nam-gyu Park.
Sangsonghoe has two types of members—full members (alumni) and student members—and hosts regular meetings, including the annual meeting, even after graduating. We also support current students exercise and provide regular occasions for alumni and current students to meet and converse. We currently have about 300 members.
We also had an opportunity to introduce Sangsonghoe and our fill members in 2011 when we published the books Sangsonghoe: 55 Years of Loving Taekwondo and Bookworms Do the Double Sidekick under the leadership of then-president Jeong-woong Jegal.
After being active for many years, Sangsonghoe had a hiatus in the 1990s, but fortunately, in 2005, alumnus Dong-myung Lee, who was then the student president and alumnus Hong-joon Lee, and Professor Woo-jin Joo, who was our advisor, led the charge to exercise hard and recruit juniors to maintain Sangsonghoe as it is today.

3. How did you join Sangsonghoe as undergraduate students, and what are your most memorable experiences?
Alumnus Gi-dae Kwon) I have been doing Taekwondo since I was a first-year student in middle school, so when I entered university, I searched for Taekwondo clubs. I heard about Sangsonghoe and started exercising as a member, and true to my expectations, not many students were invested in Taekwondo. Only a few students would gather in groups of two or three and kick around, and I was probably one of the people genuinely invested in Taekwondo. I distinctly remember Master Hong Jeong and a fellow member, Byung-eun Yoon, who also worked hard at the time.
I remember exercising at least four times and as many as five or six times weekly and especially being interested in different kick techniques.
There is one special memory. In my third year, a Department of Physical Education student came to the Sangsonghoe training room. We chatted, and the student told me they needed someone who does Taekwondo for the Presidential National Taekwondo Competition. I told the student I had never done anything like that, but they told me I would be all right. I trained together and formed a team with the Department of Physical Education students for the competition. Our first opponent was Myongji University. Myungji University had a separate Taekwondo Team that only focused on training for Taekwondo. So, you can imagine how badly we were defeated. The referees pitied us, saying, “Hey, why don’t you guys go back and study?” It’s a fun memory. Even if I got hit a lot in the first round, I never pictured myself competing in such a national-level Taekwondo competition.
Alumnus Yong-bin Han) I joined Sangsonghoe as an undergraduate student after being introduced to it by my seniors and because I thought I needed to work out.
Then, we used to work out at Hwarang Gym in Sillim-dong and came back to the university after that. So, I remember going to the store in front of the SNU gate, which is now a convenience store, and buying junior students ramyeon and having gimbap together before going up the hill.
After that, when we felt we were not working enough, the members and I changed into our Taekwondo uniforms and ran around Gwanaksan Mountain a few times. Then, we would gather at Beodeulgol to practice our Poomsae and spar. I still remember wanting to be a good senior to the junior students. However, as students, we did not have much money, so I bought pork belly meat and told the juniors to get food trays and chopsticks from the cafeteria. Then we grilled and enjoyed pork belly at Beodeulgol.
Alumnus Hyo-il Moon) I joined Sangsonghoe right after hearing that I could continue practicing Taekwondo, which I started learning in middle school, with my peers at university. I learned the virtue of being modest by training with middle and high school students with black belts at “Hwarang Gym” in Nokdu Street. The beer the seniors bought us after sweaty workout sessions is unforgettable.
I especially remember my first Sangsonghoe meeting, where I met many outstanding seniors at the head table. I remember vowing to work hard and become someone like them to help support students work out in the future.
Student Geon-woo Park) I joined Sangsonghoe in 2021 when I was the Vice President of the Business School Student Council. My friend, the President of the Student Council, suggested that we join a student group specializing in Taekwondo together. My most memorable experience would be attending the Sangsonghoe meeting. It was unforgettable thanks to the many seniors who came to the meeting and because it was a rare opportunity for undergraduate students to meet so many seniors. We also have meetings with the seniors about twice each semester, and what I remember most is how the Presidents always come to the meeting despite their busy schedules to buy food for us and enjoy drinks together.

4. What are your goals or plans that you wish to accomplish?
Alumnus Gi-dae Kwon) I started my career in banking and worked in various industries, but I am most content working in my current field, publishing. So, my plan is basically to continue what I am doing. I enjoy reading books, as well as translating, writing, and promoting them. If I had a dream, it would be to write and publish a bestseller that everyone in Korea would cherish. I would like to continue my work until my health prevents me from working.
Alumnus Yong-bin Han) I do not have goals or plans for now because your work life tends to be spontaneous. But personally, I finished and passed my doctoral dissertation on tax last year. So, to some extent, I have wrapped up the work I have been doing in the field of tax.
I do not know for how long I will be working in the future, but I would like to do my best and think about what I will do after retiring. Many things come to mind, but I would like to read more books because my dream job as a child was to become a poet or a novelist. One of my hobbies then was to read poems by Du Fu and Li Bai, so it would be wonderful to have time to read books I have been unable to read.
Another important factor is my health, and I think my Taekwondo training has helped me a lot. The basic stances in Taekwondo seem to support your spine health, and thanks to that, I do not have a belly yet, and I think it is also good for my thigh and back muscles. I aim to continue working out and be healthy so that I can live happily with my family - my wife, two daughters, and son.
Alumnus Hyo-il Moon) First of all, I would like to continue developing the products and services for our customers at Carrot General Insurance so that we can continue to take care of them and keep them safe while successfully growing and achieving a business turnaround. Through digital transformation, I plan to create a successful model for Korean financial firms using digital technology in the global marketplace.
I hope that this process of achieving success will foster the growth of not only Carrot General Insurance but also our employees and partners through various technologies and services. We will, in particular, continue to identify and cooperate with innovative startups and, with them, develop an open innovation ecosystem that opens up new domestic and international markets.
Student Geon-woo Park) First, in terms of our group, it took quite some time to normalize our group after COVID-19. This is my second year as President, and we have not been able to find many juniors, and there have been difficulties in securing a space. Now that the group is back on track, I aim to work hard to get Sangsonghoe back to its glory in the past when it was a big and well-known student group.
On a personal note, I was deeply impressed by seniors I met at Sangsonghoe meetings who have achieved great success in each field. I would like to become more successful in the field I would like to work in and become a role model for junior students.

5. Lastly, do you have any advice for Business School students?
Alumnus Gi-dae Kwon) It does not have to be Taekwondo, but it is pivotal that you have one or two exercises that you can do consistently and regularly for the rest of your life. If you think about it, without a healthy body, there would not be a healthy mind. Let’s put it differently.
The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw’s epitaph, “I knew if I stayed around long enough, something like this would happen,” is quite famous. It has been translated in the nuance of “You will regret it if you are indecisive.” In short, the lesson is that if you realize and know something ahead, making an intended and planned effort and preparing for it will ultimately lead to success. As is the case with health, studying, finding jobs, getting promoted and succeeding in your career, and enjoying a good retirement, it is all about planning ahead.
Alumnus Yong-bin Han) Whatever you do in the future, the most important thing is your health, followed by an unwavering determination. As an undergraduate student, a senior told me how challenging everything could be when you start working. I initially did not understand what they meant, but as my senior told me, it is essential to maintain a healthy mind and the energy to keep going. I think Sangsonghoe helped me a lot in that respect.
Alumnus Hyo-il Moon) I am sure that you would have many things you want to do and have to do during your short time as a student, but I strongly recommend working out with your friends by learning Taekwondo, a representative culture of Korea. If you have learned Taekwondo before entering university, you will be able to advance your skills further, and even if you are new to it, you will be able to learn from your seniors and Cheung Do Kwan.
The physical and mental strength you gain through Taekwondo will become an essential asset in whatever you do in the future, and the friendships you make while sparring together will remain with you for the rest of your life through Sangsonghoe. Now that Cheung Do Kwan, which is at the helm of globalizing Taekwondo, is supporting Sangsonghoe, I think it would be great if the alumni of Sangsonghoe, equipped with intelligence, virtue, and physical strength, could play a role in promoting K-culture globally through Taekwondo.
Student Geon-woo Park) We will officially begin recruiting new members for Sangsonghoe next semester. It might sound new, as we did not formally recruit members during COVID-19, but I hope more junior students would be interested. I will also give my best effort in leading Sangsonghoe activities.