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Interview with president of Fila Korea,
Yoon Yoon-soo (DP-66)
"Always focus on the present"
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 We
all know that Yoon Yoon-soo, the CEO of Fila Korea, is
the richest salary man in Korea with an annual income
of just over 1.8 billion won. That is 150 million per
month and 5 million per day, and 620 thousand won per
hour. When considering the fact that the average Korean
CEO's earns slightly less than a hundred million won per
year, President Yoon's annual income is undoubtedly staggering.
Most people are curious about the success of Mr. Yoon
and stop to wonder "how in the world" did he
get to where he is now. The Argus decided to meet him
and interview him in his office.
Mr. Yoon had a tortured childhood where he lost his mother
due to typhoid fever and father due to lung cancer. After
losing his father, who meant so much to him, he decided
to become a doctor. He said that he wanted to save people
who were dying in pain just like his father was.
Despite his attempts, the luck wasn't there and he failed
once more. He finally gave up his hope and searched for
something different. Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
seemed very attractive to him because Korea was experiencing
the start of globalization.
Although his desire was to major in English, he applied
for the Department of Politics and Diplomacy, fearing
that he wouldn't be accepted to the English Department.
A failure here meant his serving in the military. Despite
his fear and apprehension, he was accepted to the department
with a top score.
During his years at HUFS, his interest in English was
great and he established an English club for his department.
HUFS, being a university specializing in foreign languages,
offered a greater opportunity for him to learn English.
Despite his mature age and political major, he got a job
at Hanjin Marine Transport due to his exceptional English
skills. He traveled to the U.S. several times during his
years in the company and experienced many things outside
Korea. He decided to look for a different job after working
for Hanjin for a year. His interest in trading and shipping
increased and he applied for more than 30 companies that
suited his interest.
English was a great plus for him when looking for a job.
However, his work experience at Hanjin wasn't recognized
because it was a different field.
He got a lucky break when he was given a position at JC
Penney. To his astonishment, JC Penney was the second
largest chain distributor in the U.S. It had established
a branch in Korea to purchase Korean products and was
looking for an employee. This was where he jumped in and
his first assignment was to develop hard-line products
such as electronics. He got his first success with car
stereos. His success continued when he helped JC Penney
make connections with Goldstar and sell monochrome televisions
to the U.S. He said "My greatest break came when
I sold microwave ovens to the U.S. This was when my name
value spread in the field and everybody in the trade business
knew who I, Gene Yoon, was." He spent 5 years working
for JC Penney and worked for Hwaseung, a trade company,
for another 3 years.
His interest in Fila started during his countless business
trips to the U.S. where he saw the Fila products and said
to himself, "What if I put those nice Fila designs
on shoes and sell them?" Without much difficulty,
he earned a license to sell shoes and his success soon
came when he put his idea into action. He is currently
the President of Fila Korea, Director of Fila Hong Kong,
Vice President of Fila China, Vice President of Fila Golf,
Head of Fila India, and President of his own company.
He has helped Fila to become one of 3 major shoe brands
in the U.S. and is the "brain of all Fila shoe business."
Fila Korea is currently the largest and most respected
of all Fila branches around the world. He said, "Although
Fila was born in Italy, Korea was where it bloomed."
He said, "In order to be successful in business,
one must be diligent and hard-working. You should always
focus on the present and do things step by step, one at
a time. You have to dedicate yourself to whatever it is
that you're doing and learn to strive. There are some
basics that one must follow in life and they are pretty
simple to remember. You must try your best, wake up early,
live clean, and be diligent."
He also emphasized the fact that all businessmen must
live a Oclean' life. He claimed, "The most important
word any business person must keep in mind at all times
is Ocleanliness'. Business requires a strict adherence
to morals. It's foolish to earn unjust wealth and hide
it. In Korea, rich people don't tell you how much they
have because they have to pay taxes. They think of different
ways to elude tax or pay less than what they have. Hiding
isn't as difficult as keeping others from knowing. Information
travels very fast and one must understand that secrets
don't exist."
He also stated, "You must remain flexible and learn
to shift your direction when the situation calls for it.
When you stay on the ball and focus on the present, you
can make wiser decisions and shift your direction very
quickly. Making predictions about the future can help
you earn money."
Mr. Yoon also stated to the aspiring businessmen at HUFS,
"Always strive to do your best and focus on the present.
Be honest when doing business and always remember that
the word Osecret' doesn't exist."
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By Park Ji-jeon
Reporter of News Section |
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