Aju Group celebrated its 57th anniversary on Sept. 4 in a ceremony at its head office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, determining to expand its corporate culture, which is known for its horizontal and creative features. The Storytelling Conference was held to jointly hold some of the reform samples in its organization among executives, the group said.

This year, too, an announcement was made in a TED-style lecture to unveil Aju Group’s work style, reform samples, the results of the Creative A, a cooperative project with college students and the work on a large-diameter tunnel project.

The group has been holding the event for 11 years to reform the corporate culture to simultaneously promote the group’s growth and the happiness of employees. Chairman Moon Gyu-young has been saying that the group has to remain ever nimble in an age where changes are hard to predict.

“We have to build a horizontal and creative organizational culture if we want to grow continually in the upcoming age of the 4th Industrial Revolution,” claimed the chairman.The group has been running its own venture system since last year to expand the “creative DNA” among employees so they can be more creative.

AJU Group opened the so-called “Very Good (AJU) Good Dream Site” at an old home of the parents of its chairman, Moon Gyu-young, in Yongdu-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul. A card was given with a message of hope, which read, “Many experiences today become seeds for happiness.”

The Very Good (AJU) Good Dream Site sits at the same location where chairman Moon’s father, Tae-shik, founder of AJU Group, was born. It’s now an educational cultural center for youths in the area.

Attending the opening ceremony were a number of dignitaries such as Chairman Moon, Chief Yoo Deok-pyeul of the Dongdaemon District, Chief Kim Jeong-sok of the Seoul Dongbu Educational Assistance Office, Chairman Seo Jeong-ho of Ambassador Hotel and Chairman Lee Kang-ho of PMG, among others, totaling some 30 people.

Chairman Moon Gyu-young said his father founded AJU Group with the hope of benefiting the nation with better business prospects and to work for the growth of the group with a philosophy that the best opportunities come to those who persevere through many difficulties in life. He hoped youths coming to the center would find it to be a place that helps them grow their dreams and live healthy lifestyles.

Chairman Moon’s eldest son lived in a small house at the site, measuring 49 sq. meters in size, until he was 8 years old. He was among 12 family members attending a primary school located not far from home. Later, the home became a dormitory for employees of the group who came from towns outside Seoul.

Founder Moon decided to donate the site to a good social cause, and AJU Group decided to build a youth educational center there and donate it to the AJU Welfare Foundation, which is a non-profit social welfare foundation. In his congratulatory speech, district Chief Yoo quipped that he didn’t know a business firm could do such good social work. “I thought they wanted to make money all the time. Thanks to the donation made by Aju Group, the ward office now can practice well-put together welfare education,” he said.

The group spent 1 billion won building the four-story facility. It has 151 sq. meters in space. They wanted to maximize the available space for various activities including a library with the shelves for some 3,000 books.