Smsll Details Make A Big Difference

Prologue _ Why Small Details Matter

1. Ilsung Embraces the World with Small Details
- My Own Stage, Embracing the World
Establishing My Stage in a 59m² Office | The First Order for Facility Repair Work | Domestic Market is Too Small: Turn Your Attention to Overseas | Hamaca Project in Venezuela | Tapping the Uncharted Market in Iran | Jumping to the Top in the Race by Winning an Order from a Saudi Company | Flying to London to Deliver an Order to a Saudi Company | Pioneering the Chinese Market | The Meaning of Ilsung and Its Corporate Philosophy | A 200-fold Growth in 27 Years: From $1M Export to $200M Export | From a 59 m² Office to a 200 km² Factory | Glories of Ilsung: From Industrial Awards to the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit | The Localization of Petrochemical Plants is the Key!

2. Small Details, the Drive Behind Growth
- A Whole is Nothing But the Sum of Small Parts
The Reason Ilsung Drew the Attention of the World | SaDe Makes a Big Difference in Skills | SaDe begins with understanding the significance of even the smallest components within the whole! | SaDe is Everything: A Whole is the Sum of Its Smallest Details | Technical Achievements and Skills Achieved Through SaDe | SaDe Also Applies to Trusting Relationships! | The Law of SaDe Applies to All Fields

3. The Origin of My Belief in SaDe
- My Extraordinary Intuition Experience
Childhood Spent in Japan | On the Way Back to the Homeland After Liberation | Whole Family Sheltering in One Room in Daebong-dong, Daegu | The Korean War and the Discovery of Super Intuition Within Me | A Good Student With Top Grades | Downfall of the Family | Concerns Of the Eldest Son | The Grand Dream of a President and a Judge | Choosing Between the Korean Military Academy and Seoul National University College of Engineering | Why I Almost Threw Up After Eating Meat | Making Money as a Tutor While Studying in College

4. Sade Learned from Life
- Lessons about Small Details
Applying for ROTC and the Training from Hell | Returning Home as a Commissioned Officer | First Military Service at the Army Signal School | Practical Experience Learned While Being Signal Commander for a Frontline Unit | One Month of Harsh Experience in My First Job | the Importance of Small Details Learned Through Life Experience | A Subordinate with Superior-Level Performance | Devotion to SaDe Builds Confidence and Skills | the Field is the Best Place to Learn SaDe | Supervising the Construction of Offshore Crude Oil Pipelines and Operation of Long-Distance Onshore Oil Pipelines | Changes in the Company and a Conflict of Choices

5. Faith and Trust Built with SaDe
- Crisis is the Best Opportunity to Build Faith
Competency Creates Faith in Your Ability | Crisis is a Golden Opportunity to Build Faith | A Sudden Health Crisis | Crisis Following the Sudden Terrorist Attacks of 9/11 | Tearing up the contract with the Brazilian state-owned company | Non-Payment Crisis with a U.S. Company | KIKO Incident and Turning the Tables 10 Years Later | My First Experience of Jail | The Secret to Union-Free Management | Communication and Sharing: Keys to Trust! | Why the Industrial Peace Award Matters More to Me Than the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit

6. SaDe for Health and Life-long Learning
- Health is Also a Competency
Two-hour Barefoot Walk along a Mountain Trail Despite Being in My 80s | A Cold Bath in the Mountains in the Middle of Winter | Health Strengthened Through Exercise | Top Golf Skills | Learning to Ski and Quickly Becoming a skiing enthusiast | The Secret to SaDe Lies in Constant Study! | A Passion for Learning, Even in Old Age! | Dreaming of Corporate Social Contribution and Missionary Work | Little Memories of Life

Epilogue _ For Those Preparing for the Second Half of Life!

Ilsung had numerous business interactions with Saudi companies, but our most significant client was SABIC, the Saudi company I mentioned earlier. When I first flew to Saudi Arabia with my eldest son to initiate business with this company, we learned that the managing director of SABIC (a Saudi Arabian) was in London. He was the chief manager of the project we were aiming to secure. Moreover, we discovered that the engineer in charge of the project was also in London. Realizing that it was the engineer, not the managing director, who held the real power, I immediately flew to London with my eldest son to meet with the engineer.
We arrived in London on a dark night and took a taxi to the engineer’s location, which turned out to be quite a distance. The journey took an astonishing two hours, leading us to a rural area on the outskirts of London. The taxi driver remarked that he had never driven anyone such a long distance before, which was understandable given the notoriously high taxi fares in London.
The engineer was visibly surprised to see us arrive so late at night, incurring such an expensive taxi fare. His surprise soon turned to admiration for our dedication, and he expressed interest, suggesting that with our level of passion, he could trust us with the job. Thanks to these efforts, Ilsung successfully secured an order from SABIC.

Between us was a river, and people were crossing it using a ferry. If my uncle had already crossed the river, it seemed unlikely that I’d be able to hand him the bands. As I ran down a sloping hill near the river, I spotted my uncle just about to board the ferry. Realizing I was too far to reach him in time, I suddenly noticed I was standing on a bed of pebbles. Acting swiftly, I picked up a pebble, tied it to the bands, and called out, “Uncle!” He heard my shout and turned around just as I threw the pebble with all my strength towards him.
Miraculously, I managed to deliver the ankle bands to my uncle just in the nick of time. From a distance, he gestured his thanks. The quickness of my response in that situation surprised even me. I was amazed at my own ingenuity in coming up with such a solution. Had I not thought to tie the pebble to the ankle bands, I wouldn’t have been able to deliver them to my uncle. That incident marked the first time I recognized the intuition within me, an insight that proved useful on many other occasions.
Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. It’s a powerful tool, especially in sudden situations or crises. This skill enables me to quickly find solutions to problems as they arise. It’s like my mind works as a computer, rapidly processing information and arriving at an answer. For example, when planning a trip to the United States, I can effortlessly map out my preparations, schedule my time in Seoul, and determine the best route to the airport. Harnessing this intuition can be immensely beneficial in navigating the complex journey of life. It’s a skill that, when developed, can offer significant advantages in various situations.

One day, amidst my usual work, an employee approached me. He expressed deep regret, saying he could no longer stay with the company. When I inquired about his reasons, he hesitated, indicating he couldn’t disclose them. Respecting his privacy and possible undisclosed reasons, I accepted his resignation.
However, I later discovered that the employee had misrepresented his identity to join our company with the specific intention of establishing a labor union at Ilsung. There was a period when labor activists, masquerading as job seekers, infiltrated companies to engage in labor movements, including union formation. The resignation
of this particular employee also happened when such activities were prevalent. The employee in question was tasked with forming a union at Ilsung. He got hired, rallied several employees, met the requirements for establishing a union, and actively pushed for its creation. However, establishing a union required the consent of other employees, and he encountered significant opposition.
One employee who opposed the union said, “When my baby was ill and I couldn’t afford the surgery, my boss discreetly covered the hospital expenses, enabling the surgery to go ahead. Approving the union would feel like a betrayal to my boss.” Another employee added, “I am also against it. When I was getting married and searching for a house, the boss stepped in and helped me find a comfortable home. I can’t betray him.” Many employees expressed similar sentiments, opposing the plan, and the labor activist failed to secure any supporting votes. Eventually, he abandoned the attempt to establish a union, resigned, and left the company, as his true intention was never genuinely to work for us.
These are some of the untold stories behind Ilsung’s non-union management. Since those events, no union has been formed at Ilsung. I believe this enduring trust-based relationship with our employees was also fostered by my adherence to the principles of SaDe.