[Global HR Forum 2011] Enjoying Each Other’s Company

Enjoying Each Other’s Company

 

Before the Global HR Forum’s welcome reception, a brief teatime was held for former Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama and his wife Miyuki Hatoyama; former Chairman of the U.S. President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker and his wife Anke Dening; Minister of Education, Science, and Technology Juho Lee; President and Publisher of Korea Economic Daily Kiwoong Kim; and Chairperson of the Student Aid Foundation Kyungsook Lee.

 

 

 

Mrs. Miyuki Hatoyama, a big fan of hallyu, or Korean wave happily shared her recent meeting with Korean actor Seo-jin Lee. Mr. Hatoyama also added to the conversation by recalling his earlier meeting with former Grand National Party Chairwoman Geun-hye Park.

 

 

Mr. Volcker showed great interest in Samsung’s Galaxy mobile phones and asked in detail about Korea’s mobile phone market.

 

 

 

At the reception renowned business leaders, government officials, representatives of international organizations, university presidents and prominent scholars from around the world came together to celebrate the start of this year’s Global HR Forum.

 

 

 

Ian White, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge

“I have great expectations for this conference. Currently, the education system is undergoing a big transition. Technology is advancing as we speak and both students and teachers have to get accustomed to new environments. Through this forum, I hope we are able to learn what kind of opportunities there are in the new education system. I also have a good impression on the Korean education system since it allows Korea to foster talented students. How quickly Korean students are able to comprehend things and the fact that they can adapt anywhere allows me to think there are no faults to the system. Recently, the hot issue in the education field is science engineering. Education that goes one step further and raises students to think creatively is desperately needed.”

 

Lars Palllesen, President of Technical University of Denmark

“I am most interested in KAIST’s education system. The way Korean students are able to grasp Science and Math is amazing and watching KAIST students makes me think even more so. However, it can be too competitive at times. Due to the high-competitiveness, students are unable to study long-term and end up giving up studying all together. It is meaningless to classify the different education system of each country. Korean students go abroad to study in America and work in Denmark. American students come to Korea to study and go back to the US and start their own business. We live in a world were talented people are shared globally.

For instance, a country like Singapore attracts many gifted people with PhDs.”

 

Weiping Huang, Professor at Renmin University of China

“Education can not only change how people perceive the world but also foster peoples’ ability to change the world. In that sense, this forum has great significance. The central theme for this year’s forum, ‘Smart Education’ is innovative because it discusses the issue of whether education affects human values or if it affects technical skills. I feel that the forum’s development is ever-increasing each year.”

 

Peter Jarvis, Professor Emeritus, University of Surrey

“I have visited Korea several times but I am surprised at its development every time I come. I like the positive energy Korea has. Specifically, I think the biggest strength of Korea is the peoples’ passion towards work and education. I believe that Korea’s education system is excellent and well-organized. If Korea’s education were considered problematic, England’s education would be a considered to be in a mess.”