Kim Jung-joo, who was expelled from KAIST, recites congratulatory remarks for inauguration as president of KAIST

NXC CEO Kim Jung-joo (53) showed crying at the inauguration ceremony of the new president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Lee Kwang-hyung held on the afternoon of the 8th. The special relationship between President Kim and President Lee, who has become a world-class game company, is a hot topic.

Representative Kim Jeong-joo gave a congratulatory speech for about 5 minutes at the inauguration ceremony of President Lee. The short hair that I enjoyed when I was in my 30s was on the podium. However, I didn’t dye my hair red or yellow like that at the time. He hesitated, saying, “I don’t know how to start (congratulations),” he spent about half of the time introducing his relationship with KAIST.

Representative Kim said, “(At KAIST) I was cut off while I was a doctor and ran away. In the meantime, I started a company and somehow came to this place,” he said. “Comparing to my school days, the appearance of KAIST has changed considerably, but I still feel like I have returned to my old home.”

At the same time, he stopped talking three or four times, crying as if he was overwhelmed with emotions. He said, “The reason why I feel’warmth like a mother’ to KAIST is thanks to President Lee Kwang-hyung.” Representative Kim recalled, “I wasn’t sincere in my student life, and Professor Gwang-hyung Lee and Ms. Eun-kyung Ahn (Lee’s spouse) generously trusted and supported me.” He then suggested that he would apply to KAIST, saying, “I will help if I can help.”

Kim, the first generation of the domestic game industry, studied at the new president’s laboratory. CEO Kim, who entered the master’s program in the Department of Computer Science at KAIST in 1991, suffered a failure after starting a business immediately after admission. Then, three years later, he founded Nexon.

I went on to the doctoral course in the same department in 1993, but it was difficult to concentrate on my studies. At the time, his supervisor informed him that it would be better to quit the doctoral course. The person who accepted him who was expelled from the lab was Lee Kwang-hyung (then professor). Thanks to this, CEO Kim was able to continue his school life for about a year. Later, CEO Kim Young-dal, who founded IDIS, connected Professor Lee. At the inauguration ceremony that day, the two sat side by side and celebrated the inauguration ceremony of the teacher’s president.

However, CEO Kim could not graduate from KAIST. This is because while Professor Lee left for training at Stanford University in the United States on a sabbatical year, the temporary supervisor rebuked him for “I don’t even study, only make games,” and demanded that President Kim drop out.

Nexon, founded by CEO Kim, recently led the increase in the game industry’s salary. On the 1st of last month, the initial wages of new college graduates were increased by 8 million won to the development workers (50 million won) and non-development workers (45 million won). Employees currently in office also decided to raise their annual salary by 8 million won this year. With Nexon as a signal, major game industries such as Netmarble and Krafton are announcing plans to increase their annual salaries.

Reporter Moon Hee-cheol [email protected]