In far future, inscription on my tombstone will say “The World Rests Here,” and this is my life mission. When I was a high school student in Korea, I wanted to apply to Kyung Sang University as a business major, but I was not able to because my test scores were not competitive enough to apply. Instead, my teacher advised me to apply with a different major to gain acceptance. I was accepted into the agriculture major program, and I attended the university for a year despite my lack of interest in the subject matter. After a year, I enlisted into the Korean military. Leaving my family behind for the first time, I experienced a very difficult time in the military for 26 months. In difficult times, I learned to be patient and responsible; within this difficult time, I made a decision to undergo another world so that I can further broaden my perspective.
I gave up the thought of returning as a student and decided to learn business first hand by traveling to China, where I learned the core principles of business as well as the Chinese language and culture. I went to Tianjin city near Beijing, and I enrolled in a Chinese language academy for six months. I was housed in the dormitory for international students and was exposed to students of different cultures and backgrounds. This was a valuable time for me because I learned how to appreciate those who are different from what I was accustomed to. Within several months, I learned enough Chinese to communicate with people, so I began to expand my social and business networks. After six months, I decided to work at my uncle’s furniture manufacturing firm in the China that had nearly five hundred employees. There I learned the majority of my business management and organizational skills; I lived in the factory and worked on average of sixty hours per week. I suppose I learned everything from the bottom up; I operated forklifts, managed schedules, helped pack and ship products for...