"Let's Shape LG's Future with the DNA of Challenge and Change We've had Since Day 1"
Highlighting LG's Spirit – the DNA of challenge and change since Day 1
- "LG's Day 1 spirit of choosing what others wouldn't dare comes from our DNA of challenge and change as we serve our customers. With this spirit, we have built a history of firsts and bests." - "Creating distinguished customer value for our customers is no easy task. It often comes with fear of failure. But just as what feels familiar today was once an innovation, we haven't let fear of failure hold us back. Instead, we've kept pushing forward, taking on new challenges and driving change." - "LG has become the company it is today by taking on new challenges and creating value that didn't exist before. With our spirit of challenge and change, we'll continue to deliver essential and exceptional value to our future customers."
- "Let's shape a future where LG is a name people can't imagine living without, by staying true to our spirit of innovation and commitment to our customers."
Bringing LG's vision to life: Creating essential and exceptional value for future customers
- "From AI and smart solutions that enhance the value of customers' time and enable them to unleash their infinite potential, along with biotech and cleantech that create a healthy life and a clean planet, innovative ideas taking root across our organization will blossom into smile-worthy values for our future customers."
The New Year Address featured several LG employees sharing cases of distinguished customer value they're creating. It was filmed in Connectwin, a shared space that was renovated at LG Twin Towers earlier this year.
Since the 2019 New Year address, LG has outlined its direction with a focus on customers, further developing its customer value management message each year: addressing customer pain points in 2020, building deep understanding and empathy in 2021, delivering valuable customer experiences in 2022, creating the customer value I bring in 2023, and focusing on distinguished customer value in 2024.
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo delivered his annual New Year's greetings via video email to approximately 270,000 LG employees worldwide. This continues a tradition begun in 2022 of delivering the New Years's message just prior to the beginning of the year to encourage employees to close the year peacefully and calmly, and plan for the upcoming year. This year's email was titled "Hello, this is Kwang Mo Koo" and sent on December 19 in the morning (KST).
LG Corp. Chairman and CEO Kwang Mo Koo highlighted LG’s spirit—the DNA of challenge and change since Day 1—during his annual New Year’s greetings, delivered via video on December 19.
Chairman Koo began the video message on a note of gratitude, calling employees "Customer Value Creators," noting that thanks to their efforts "2024 was another great year of creating distinguished value and that they had brought the company one step closer to customers."
Highlighting LG's Spirit – the DNA of challenge and change since Day 1
In the 2025 New Year address, Chairman Koo emphasized LG's founding spirit as being rooted in the DNA of challenge and change we've had since Day 1, urging the company to deliver essential and exceptional value to future customers. He also reflected on the past, noting that "LG began with the goal of providing products and services that are truly needed by customers. The Day 1 spirit of choosing what others would not dare reflects our DNA of taking on challenges and driving change."1)
1) Original quote by Founding Chairman Yonam In-hwoi Koo: "Choose what others overlook and start with the things that people cannot live without. Once you begin, push forward boldly."
Chairman Koo further emphasized that LG's efforts to bring joy and happiness to customers' lives have led to bold innovations, creating a history of firsts and bests across various fields and delivering distinguished value that elevates customers' lives to the next level. 2)
"Creating distinguished value for customers is no easy task. It requires stepping away from familiar ways, and it comes with worries and fear of failure," said Chairman Koo. "But just as what feels familiar today was once an innovation, we haven't stopped at failure or settled for past successes. Instead, we've continued to challenge and drive change."
"LG has become the company it is today by taking on new challenges and creating value that didn't exist before. With our spirit of challenge and change, we'll continue to deliver essential and exceptional value to our future customers," said Chairman Koo. "Together, let's shape a future where LG is a name people can't imagine living without by staying true to our spirit of innovation and commitment to our customers."
2) LG's history of firsts and bests
- 1947 Korea's first cosmetics – Lucky Cream - 1952 Korea's first plastic product made by injection molding - 1959 Korea's first radio - 1966 Korea' first black-and-white TV / 2002 World's first 52-inch LCD HDTV / 2011 World's first 55-inch OLED for TV / 2023 World's first wireless OLED TV / 2024 LG OLED TV ranked No.1 by consumer media in 14 countries - 1969 Korea's first washing machine / 2011 World's first clothing care system – LG Styler / 2023 Next-generation shoe care solution –ShoeCase and ShoeCare / 2024 LG refrigerator, washing machine, dryer ranked No.1 by Consumer Reports - 1999 Korea's first lithium-ion battery / 2009 World's first mass-produced EV batteries / 2024 World's No.1 secondary battery patent holder - 2007 - present ABS global market share No.1 / 2020 World's first mass production of white recycled ABS - 2003 Korea's first FDA-approved new drug – FACTIVE / 2023 Korea's best growth hormone - Eutropin / 2024 Korea's best new diabetes drug – Zemiglo - 1998 World's first CDMA PCS wireless data service / 2013 World's first nationwide LTE network / 2019 World's first commercial 5G network service - 2024 Korea's first homegrown open-source large language model – EXAONE 3.0
Bringing LG's vision to life: Creating essential and exceptional value for future customers
In the 2025 New Year address, Chairman Koo shared LG's vision for the future, one that delivers essential and exceptional value for future customers:
"From AI and smart solutions that enhance the value of customers' time and enable them to unleash their infinite potential, along with biotech and cleantech that create a healthy life and a clean planet, innovative ideas taking root across our organization will blossom into smile-worthy values for our future customers.
"We aim to make AI and robots a seamless part of daily life, giving people more time to focus on meaningful and enjoyable pursuits," he said, elaborating on his broad vision for the company. "Through healthcare solutions and innovative new medicines, we will help people spend more time with their loved ones. By reducing carbon emissions and waste and transforming them into valuable resources, we will ensure clean water and air for everyone. And with advanced industrial solutions, we will help customers overcome challenges and unlock their full potential."
In doing so, the chairman brought to life LG's vision for the future of creating value that truly matters to customers.
The New Year Address featured several LG employees sharing cases of distinguished customer value they're creating.
This year's video message also featured several LG employees who shared the distinguished value they are working to create for future customers in areas such as AI, bio and clean tech, and smart homes.
"We're developing AI home solutions with AI-powered appliances and robots communicate naturally with users and provide personalized care," explained Sung Wook Hong of LG Electronics' Home Appliance Solution Company. "We want our homes to handle chores so that customers can focus on more enjoyable and meaningful activities."
"Our goal is to develop effective and safe therapies that help cancer patients live healthy and happy to their full life expectancy" said Hyungjin Cho of LG Chem's Life Sciences Company as he shared his vision for his work to develop new medicine to fight cancer.
"We're developing a solution for collecting carbon dioxide generated in thepetrochemical processes and using it as an ingredient for producing plastics," said Jae Young Park of LG Chem's CO₂ Plastic Project, adding that "just about everything needs plastic these days, so we want to be able to share our innovation with the next generation so they can enjoy summers that are not hotter than the past."
Chairman Koo then expressed his support for the employees. "The challenges and changes, big and small, that each of us drives in our respective roles are all incredibly valuable," he said.
The video message was filmed against the backdrop of the Connectwin, located on the lower levels of LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Seoul. The newly renovated common space was unveiled earlier this year with a dual meaning behind the name: connecting the Twin Towers and connecting to win.
Since his 2019 New Year's message, where he placed an emphasis on "prioritizing customers as a future direction of LG," Chairman Koo has consistently refined his message of customer value management through annual addresses.
In 2019, he defined three unique customer values for LG: "transforming customer's lives with satisfaction," "being ahead of others," and "continuously creating value." In 2020, he called for a focus on identifying customer pain points as the starting point for realizing customer value. In 2021, he emphasized the importance of deeply understanding and empathizing with customers through micro-segmentation. In 2022, he proposed creating valuable experiences that customers would not want to live without. In 2023, he askedd each member to search for the customer value they could create, inspiring employees to take the lead in value creation and prioritizing customer satisfaction. In 2024, he urged staff to commit itself to creating distinguished customer value to position LG as the market-leading customer experience innovator.
