Seongsimdang’s 70 years, the economic topic of ‘people-centered’ raised by the AI ​​era > News

Seongsimdang's recent actions are in line with the public values of improving local residential conditions and nurturing human resources. The Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education is significantly expanding its program to visit excellent local companies for students from vocational high schools and is helping students gain field experience and settle down in leading local companies such as Seongsimdang. This is a strategic move to go beyond simple employment linkage and create an ecosystem where young people can pursue their dreams in the region without leaving for the metropolitan area by increasing understanding of local industrial sites. In fact, even the Board of Audit and Inspection took the case of Seongsimdang as an example of active administration and contributed to preserving the vitality of the local economy by flexibly loosening rigid regulations. This cooperation between government offices and private companies is becoming a milestone for coexistence that breathes new vitality into the local economy in crisis.

The secret to Seongsimdang’s success does not simply lie in cost-effective products. They joined hands with the Daejeon City Agricultural Technology Center to create a wheat production complex in the region, increasing self-sufficiency in domestic wheat and establishing a model for the 6th industry that grows together with local farms. The process of making bread with Korean wheat harvested in Kyochon-dong shows how corporate social responsibility can be combined with local agriculture to create sustainable value. In particular, the Woori Wheat products introduced to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding are not just products, but the result of the sincere philosophy of a company that has grown in harmony with the local community. These actions clearly demonstrate how a company can go beyond its original purpose of seeking profit and prove its inherent value as a member of the local community.

Meanwhile, behind the rapid growth of Seongsimdang lies the contemporary challenge of introducing AI and robot technology. The recent news that Seongsimdang has introduced robots in the production of fried soboro has enabled efficient production, but at the same time, it is raising concerns about jobless growth that will occur as labor-intensive industries transition to the AI ​​era. Experts ask whether the really important ‘people’s lives’ are being neglected in the competition for technological hegemony. Amid growing fears that AI could even replace human creativity, the case of Seongsimdang suggests that social acceptance can only be achieved when the philosophy of ‘people-centered management’ is maintained even if the company’s production method changes.

In this context, the ‘national dividend’ discussion recently raised in the political world has significant implications. This is because, in a structure where jobs are decreasing and corporate productivity is being maximized due to AI, it is necessary to consider how to share the fruits of technological innovation with the entire society. Seongsimdang’s ‘people-centered entrepreneurship’, which leads to innovation through the philosophy of sharing and contributes to the local community through growth, may be one aspect of the new social contract model we should pursue. Beyond simply praising or rejecting the introduction of technology, companies, governments, and civil society must come together to find ways to restore humanity in the AI ​​era. In the end, the proposition that technology should not be a tool to replace humans but a means to help people live more humanely has already been proven in the 70-year history of Seongsimdang.