Gwangju University President Kim Dong-jin spoke about ‘Gwangju University’s vision and the importance of entrepreneurship’ at the ‘YE (Youth Entrepreneurship) Lecture’ at the 14 International Council of Small and Medium Businesses World Congress (ICSB World Congress) held at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju on the 2023th.
President Kim Dong-jin mentioned the ‘meaning of growth’ on this day, citing his own case. President Kim said, “First of all, it is an honor to give a keynote lecture to small and medium-sized business policy makers, businessmen, and students who visited Gwangju from all over the world.” He added, “My mother always tells me to grow more, which means growing more.” “I think it has meaning,” he said.
President Kim, who said that individuals, companies, and countries all strive to grow, said, “Everyone has a desire to grow. “Researchers achieve academic results, companies seek to generate profits through excellent technology and services, and so does the country,” he said. “Korea has achieved unprecedented growth. “We have grown from a country that receives aid to a country that gives aid, which is like a newborn running a marathon,” he said.
He then diagnosed the recent situation of universities and the reality of small and medium-sized businesses. President Kim Dong-jin said, “Universities have pursued pure academics, but recently the dynamics are changing. Many companies are replacing the role of universities. This is in line with Apple’s headquarters being called Apple Campus. “Companies are conducting workshops through their own training centers and establishing their own academies,” he added.
President Kim, who pointed out the implications of the changing dynamics between universities and companies, said, “The value of knowledge and know-how gained through companies may be higher than that of knowledge gained from universities. He emphasized, “We need to change our thinking and move away from the existing lecture-centered university education to a university that trains middle- and high-level talents who can compete with skilled experts.”
He then explained the value of entrepreneurship. President Kim Dong-jin said, “If a university embraces an entrepreneurial spirit, its potential and possibilities will be endless.” He added, “Starting this year, Gwangju University has been attempting innovation under the motto of ‘start-up.’ “Like a company, we are doing our best to establish specialized centers for each department so that students’ major abilities can be recognized in the market,” he said.
Finally, President Kim said, “Small and medium-sized businesses play a very important role in the region and country. However, they face difficulties due to limited resources and difficult realities,” he said. “If small and medium-sized businesses cooperate with universities, they can achieve remarkable results and growth. “Gwangju University will take a new leap forward with the goal of ‘growth’ and ‘growing,’” he said.
Meanwhile, the ‘2023 International Small and Medium Business Council World Conference’ was held to promote the global growth and development of small and medium-sized businesses and prepare ways for cooperation. The International Council for Small and Medium Business (ICSB) is the world’s first international organization for small and medium-sized businesses aimed at developing small and medium-sized businesses, and was established in the United States in 1955. It has been 2009 years since the ‘International Small and Medium Business Council World Conference’ was held in Korea, following Seoul in 14. This world conference is hosted by Gwangju City and the International Small and Medium Business Council and organized by the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, the Small and Medium Venture Business Policy Society, and the LINC3.0 Project Group of local universities. It was organized by This world conference, held under the theme of ‘Entrepreneurship for Humanity and Peace’, featured various events such as △professional academic presentations △keynote speech by representative entrepreneur △proclamation of the Gwangju-Entrepreneurship Declaration △exhibitions and global export consultations to introduce and promote startup products and sales. It was operated as a program.