Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jay-yong poses with students of the Samsung S/W Academy for Youth (SSAFY) branch in Gwangju as he toured the institution on Aug. 20. (Photo: Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jay-yong toured the Samsung S/W Academy for Youth (SSAFY) branch in Gwangju on Aug. 20 to bring about renewed insights into the nation’s software development. Lee met and conversed with job-seeking students of the center.

It was the first time that Vice Chairman Lee visited such a software development education center. His personal visit may be the strongest message yet that he is stressing the significance of software manpower development and to extending a helping hand to job-seeking youth.

Lee also toured Samsung Electronics’ home appliance plant in Gwangju for the first time this year and explored with President Kim Hyun-suk and President Noh Hee-chan ways of ramping up its competitiveness and the home appliance business, as well as developing innovative products tailored to break the conventional mold.

His home appliance plant tour was one of a series of visits made to strengthen his field management and steer Samsung Electronics out of the current crises.

He has initiated a strategy to maneuver the electronics maker out of the current crises, which was caused by the simmering Korean-Japanese rift and the widening trade dispute between the United States and China.

His latest move may be construed as his taking seriously the possible impact Japan’s removing Korea from the “white list” of countries subject to eased customs shipping-clearance procedures will have down the line.

As Samsung Electronics’ mainstay businesses such as semiconductors, display panels, secondary batteries and TVs are to be buffeted under the influence of Japan’s retaliatory economic steps, Vice Chairman Lee is believed to have accepted the responsibility to cope with the looming crises.

Japan initially imposed export curbs on three raw materials, including etching gas, considered as the Achilles tendon of Korean chip and display panel makers like Samsung Electronics, and Japan escalated a trade war against Korea by removing the latter from the white list of fast-track customs clearance for exports to expand its export curbs on Korea.

Vice Chairman Lee showed his determination to translate the crisis into an opportunity, and thereby “take a leap forward,” while talking about the future.

Vice Chairman Lee called for participants to craft strategies to cope with Japan’s export curbs in a cool-headed and detailed fashion. Unlike the previous meeting, Vice Chairman Lee touched on new opportunities.

Samsung Electronics looks to not only seize Japan’s export curbs to Korea as an opportunity to diversify countries of raw materials, parts and equipment imports, but also have chances to upgrade the competitiveness of its businesses in return for lowering its dependence on Japanese imports.

Economics officials pointed out that Vice Chairman Lee stressed “a leap forward” while presiding over an emergency meeting on Aug. 5.

His determination to overcome the unprecedented crisis with the help of strong leadership may be interpreted as an attempt to follow in the footsteps of Group founder Lee Byung-chull and his father, Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who demonstrated solid leadership through numerous crises.

Vice Chairman Lee’s latest tour to the SSAFY center in Gwangju has drawn keen attention. Last August, Samsung Electronics came up with a plan to foster 10,000 youth software experts by pouring some 500 billion won in the next five years to reinvigorate the national economy and create jobs.

According to the plan, Samsung Electronics established the social contribution activity program “SSAFY.”

Four-year university graduates and would-be graduates, aged less than 28, are qualified for the program. SSAFY students are given free one-year on-the-job training. They are also entitled to 1 million won per month for one year in financial support.

Graduates with higher academic records will be given the opportunity to receive on-the-job training at Samsung Electronics’ overseas labs. Chairman Lee told the students software manpower development is essential for expanding a foundation for the IT ecosystem.

“Even though at hard times, we have to sow the seeds for the future,” he was quoted as saying.