Colorado Technical University

A place for kids to explore their dreams

Summary: Choi Sung keum joined the Munhwa Broadcasting Company a major Korean television and radio network in 1984 and enjoyed a long career in human resources It s doubtful she ever thought she d be heading up the Korean version of a Mexican educational theme park chain Yet that s exactly what she does as president and CEO of MBC PlayBe which runs the education and entertainment center KidZania based on a license acquired from KidZania de Mexico in February 2008 The Korean firm to exploit that license launched in September 2008 and the first Korean KidZania is now due to open in Seoul Feb 27 Built on the former site of the Lotte World swimming pool in Jamsil southern Seoul KidZania Seoul will be the biggest location of the chain in the world at nearly 11 square kilometers over 4 square miles Previous sites full of educational and cultural content give kids the chance to put themselves in the shoes of adults with interesting careers firefighters or scientists for example To prepare for the launch MBC PlayBe has added around 344 part time employees to its 50 regular workers to assist visiting children and Choi is now overseeing rigorous training sessions Born in 1960 Choi earned her bachelor s degree in English literature from Chung Ang University and is currently working toward her master s degree in art management at Dongguk University From 2004 to 2007 she headed the group s cultural business department then worked in human resources for two years until becoming MBC PlayBe CEO in September 2008 Following are excerpts from a recent interview the JoongAng Daily did with Choi Q How did you get appointed as CEO Were you involved with the children s education business in the past A I joined MBC in 1984 and worked in various divisions from events to the planning department I also served as vice director of MBC s human resources department Then I was appointed as MBC PlayBe CEO becoming the first female executive at MBC I was able to experience a variety of educational and cultural businesses while working there Not only did I participate in the 1992 Daejeon Expo as an instructor during events I also launched the MBC Academy which is an institution designed to nurture TV entertainers in 1992 MBC probably chose me as MBC PlayBe CEO because the newly launched subsidiary is the type of company that needs a leader with great sensibilities as well as experience in education and culture related business Who is your role model and what is your management philosophy Apple CEO Steve Jobs is my role model because he seems to be the type of leader who never gives up on anything and is not afraid of setting new challenges for himself And also he doesn t just sit in his fancy office to receive full briefings from his secretary but rather goes out to work sites to check on procedures and bond with on site workers There is one episode about Steve Jobs that particularly inspired me Before personal computers were in common use as they are now Steve Jobs set a detailed goal under which every worker would have a computer on their own desk I don t like setting a broad or vague vision For example I am going to make an air carrier that will lead the aircraft business in the 21st century is a type of vision that has no details and is unlikely to be realized I would rather be a CEO who listens to on site workers to help formulate an action plan that can actually be achieved What is your strategy in running the company MBC PlayBe was launched with the aim to make inroads into children s education and cultural businesses With MBC trying to expand its presence in various areas integrating education and culture businesses into one is next on its agenda and it will be done through MBC PlayBe In order to do so quality educational and cultural content for children will be needed That content will exclusively belong to MBC PlayBe Also I believe that if I cherish and love my workers first they will be able to show better work performances and great service to customers That then will eventually lead to customer satisfaction In the long term I would like to make KidZania Seoul the first franchise specializing in the educational and cultural content business to be operated in many locations across the country By Jung Jae yoon jyj222 joongang co kr Choi Sung keum Copyrights ⓒ JoongangIlbo Joins com All rights reserved Choi Sung keum joined the Munhwa Broadcasting Company a major Korean television and radio network in 1984 and enjoyed a long career in human resources It s doubtful she ever thought she d be heading up the Korean version of a Mexican educational theme park chain Yet that s exactly what she does as president and CEO of MBC PlayBe which runs the education and entertainment center KidZania based on a license acquired from KidZania de Mexico in February 2008 The Korean firm to exploit that license launched in September 2008 and the first Korean KidZania is now due to open in Seoul Feb 27 Built on the former site of the Lotte World swimming pool in Jamsil southern Seoul KidZania Seoul will be the biggest location of the chain in the world at nearly 11 square kilometers over 4 square miles Previous sites full of educational and cultural content give kids the chance to put themselves in the shoes of adults with interesting careers firefighters or scientists for example To prepare for the launch MBC PlayBe has added around 344 part time employees to its 50 regular workers to assist visiting children and Choi is now overseeing rigorous training sessions Born in 1960 Choi earned her bachelor s degree in English literature from Chung Ang University and is currently working toward her master s degree in art management at Dongguk University From 2004 to 2007 she headed the group s cultural business department then worked in human resources for two years until becoming MBC PlayBe CEO in September 2008 Following are excerpts from a recent interview the JoongAng Daily did with Choi Q How did you get appointed as CEO Were you involved with the children s education business in the past A I joined MBC in 1984 and worked in various divisions from events to the planning department I also served as vice director of MBC s human resources department Then I was appointed as MBC PlayBe CEO becoming the first female executive at MBC I was able to experience a variety of educational and cultural businesses while working there Not only did I participate in the 1992 Daejeon Expo as an instructor during events I also launched the MBC Academy which is an institution designed to nurture TV entertainers in 1992 MBC probably chose me as MBC PlayBe CEO because the newly launched subsidiary is the type of company that needs a leader with great sensibilities as well as experience in education and culture related business Who is your role model and what is your management philosophy Apple CEO Steve Jobs is my role model because he seems to be the type of leader who never gives up on anything and is not afraid of setting new challenges for himself And also he doesn t just sit in his fancy office to receive full briefings from his secretary but rather goes out to work sites to check on procedures and bond with on site workers There is one episode about Steve Jobs that particularly inspired me Before personal computers were in common use as they are now Steve Jobs set a detailed goal under which every worker would have a computer on their own desk I don t like setting a broad or vague vision For example I am going to make an air carrier that will lead the aircraft business in the 21st century is a type of vision that has no details and is unlikely to be realized I would rather be a CEO who listens to on site workers to help formulate an action plan that can actually be achieved What is your strategy in running the company MBC PlayBe was launched with the aim to make inroads into children s education and cultural businesses With MBC trying to expand its presence in various areas integrating education and culture businesses into one is next on its agenda and it will be done through MBC PlayBe In order to do so quality educational and cultural content for children will be needed That content will exclusively belong to MBC PlayBe Also I believe that if I cherish and love my workers first they will be able to show better work performances and great service to customers That then will eventually lead to customer satisfaction In the long term I would like to make KidZania Seoul the first franchise specializing in the educational and cultural content business to be operated in many locations across the country By Jung Jae yoon jyj222 joongang co kr Choi Sung keum Copyrights ⓒ JoongangIlbo Joins com All rights reserved

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