Gong Byeong-ho

Gong was born on May 10, 1960, in Gyeongnam Tongyeong province in the southern region of South Korea as the youngest son in the family of three sons and four daughters. Gong describes the place he grew up in his autobiography Obsessed with Excellence: "Even though the house that my family lived is now a part of a city, back then, located near the sea and called Hannam-dong (south of the port), it was where the fishermen gathered and an important area for the fishing industry. Like its name, the neighborhood which was located south of the seaport had many abandoned materials from the time of Japanese occupation of Korea. In his autobiography, Gong describes his father Gong Tae-Jong (born in 1924) and mother Lee Jeong-Soon (born in 1925) as follows: "It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe my parents as people who worked their hardest to their utmost capacities. My mother’s hands, from all the work at home and at the fishery, were as rugged as those of manual workers, and it is those hands that first come to my mind when I reminisce about my mother. When I think about my father, diligence, sincerity, and adventurism are the words that first come to my mind while diligence, sacrifice, and devotion are the words that I think of when reminiscing about my mother. I have always aspired to live a moral and honest life because I remember the sacrifice and dedication that my parents have shown in their lives."

Having first left home in 8th grade to attend a high school in Busan (second largest city in South Korea), Gong eventually studied economics at Korea University and completed a PhD in Economics at Rice University.[2]

Gong devoted the earlier parts of his career for the economic advancement and liberalization of South Korea. He founded the Center for Free Enterprise and it was during this time that Gong came to solidify his economic and political views as a libertarian.[3]

A period of personal crisis as Gong begins his brief but compact experience as a CEO. Later, Gong would recall his experience during this time as a period of turmoil where he realized his true professional calling.

A period of personal and professional growth where, through the creation and running of the Gong Research Institute, Gong pursues his true calling as a writer, lecturer, biographer, and professional mentor.[4] In his dissertation. Suh Dong-Jin, a professor, describes Gong as one of the foremost important self-management guru who has successfully incorporated himself into a one-man company, paving his own future with his own philosophy and techniques."[5]

In the later stages of his career, Gong comes to take an interest in Ancient Greek Philosophy, publishing several books in which he interprets and analyzes famous Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle. He also converts to Christianity.

Everyone learns in different ways and according to Gong, he learns best by writing books. Gong does not write because he is knowledgeable about the field, but he writes to become knowledgeable about the field. Gong has written over a hundred books. "I write not because I know, but because I want to know. The reason why I have written about such diverse topics as economics, management, leadership, ancient Greek philosophy, and the bible is because of my thirst for knowledge. I am the type that loses interest easily, so I am used to focusing on certain topics for a certain period of time to write a book. Honestly, at the end of the day, the reason why I write about such diverse number of topics is to live an interesting and fun life (Gong Byeong-Ho’s Study Guide, 175).[90]

Because Gong is not bounded to a certain corporation as a researcher or a professor, he writes freely about whatever topics interest him. He is known to not have structural framework when writing a book because his understanding and depth of knowledge on a topic changes and evolves as he learns more about it. He usually gives himself about a year but prefers not to plan further than that because, as his understanding of the topic changes, the topic of the book itself changes. In his 30s, Gong focused on the market economy, growth and decline of corporations, liberalism, chaebols, and entrepreneurship. In his 40s, Gong focused on the economic growth of Korea, self-management, leadership, and parenting.[91] In his 50s, Gong has focused on ancient philosophy, self-development, critiques of social issues, and the bible.[92]

Gong often writes short pieces on things he's observed, day-to-day interactions that he finds interesting, and reflections on a movie or a piece of news that he's read. Wherever he encounters materials that he can write about, he posts them on his blog. He likes to call the Gong Institute's website his own public study platform. Writing about whatever passes through his thoughts is a hobby for him that he enjoys.[93] "Write about the new person, information, knowledge, and experience that you may have met through your eyes, ears, lips, and nose; whatever it is that you may have encountered, write down your own thoughts that was formed through your encounter with it. Do not consider this to be writing of the formal kind. It is different from writing with a certain goal in mind. Writing light pieces is all about writing whatever slips through your thoughts without the pressure of having to write well. (Gong Byeong Ho’s Study Guide, 98).[94]

Gong is one of the most influential lecturer in Korea.[95] He has averaged around 300 lectures per year.[96] He built up his credentials as lecturer during his time as student and assistant professor in both Korea and United States and further enhanced his understanding of economics and management through leading the creation and the development of the Center for Free Enterprise.[97] An article on the industry for lectures and professional mentorship stated the following: "Guest lecturers prefer corporations that hold various events for their employees. That’s because the pay and the prestige that comes along with being a lecturer at corporate events are huge. The most prominent among the lecturers is the Gong and Goo combo. Both have put forth their names as their main brands. They both focus on similar fields such as predicting economic prospects, self-management, change-management, leadership, etc. They are not only knowledgeable in the fields aforementioned, but they have continued to lead their own research institutes and stay active in other fields such as writing, publishing, and teaching.[98]

Gong is one of the few in Korea who is knowledgeable enough to give talks and lectures on a variety of different topics.[99] Over the last decade, Gong has provided various workshops and talk series on economics, management, self-management, humanities, corporate management, leadership, and more.[100] He’s audience vary from corporate employees and CEOs to religious and educational institutions.[100] 또한 그는 기업, 기관, 학교, 단체 등 다양한 고객군을 갖고 있다.[100][101]

"Self-Management Academy" is a phrase that Gong popularized in the recent years. After publishing the famed Gong Byeong Ho’s Self-Management Notebook and Gong Byeong Ho’s Practical Guide to Self-Management in 2003, Gong created and ran a 6-8 hour weekend workshop on self-management.[102] Many young students starting from middle school up until college, and even those beyond college-level education have benefited from these programs. According to a former student said "I realized how planning and having goals in life is really important. The program taught me how much I lacked in self-management planning. It also helped me realize what I wanted to achieve in life and helped me gain confidence in myself to achieve the goals that I set out for myself.[103] Another said “I used to find myself unable to concentrate, but now every second of the day is precious.”[104] Until now Gong has completed 137, 116, 101, and 51 sessions for middle school students, high school students, post-college adults, and elementary school students, respectively.[105][106]

Gong's bases his theories and principles of economics on the liberal assumption that we need to minimize government interventions in the social realm of the society and maximize the options available to the people. He developed his ideas and hones his understanding of these theories in his 30s as he aimed to develop the Center for Free Enterprise and published numerous books on economic theory such as What is Market Economy and Corporate Man. These theories were further clarified in his 40s through his books such as Korea in Ten Years and Korea’s Road to Prosperity.[107] In his book, The Market Economy and its Enemies, Gong writes "we must continue to accumulate mental assets so that our society can prosper. We must continue to strive to understand the concept of individual liberty and freedom to choose, the existence of competing and often conflicting ideas, the process of creating and accumulating wealth, corporation’s relationship with the public, bureaucrats and politicians, necessary principles for a free tolerant society, charitable acts by the public to the less well-off, separation of power, and the tyranny of the majority." (The Market Economy and its Enemies, 351).[108]

In the book, The Conservatives, in which 10 journalists discuss what it means to be a conservative in Korea, it mentions Gong as one of the top 10 conservative critique in Korea that has influenced the conservative movement in Korea.[109][110] It names Gong as one of the top 3 conservative trio and one of the most "radical" conservatives in Korea.[111][112][113][114]

Gong is known to in Koreas as a "One-Man Company."[115] According to the book, Korea’s One-Man Stock Company, Gong is unmatched by anyone else in the field of self-management. He has positioned himself to become a model of a one-man company business model."[116][117] Another said the following: "Recently there has been a trend to accumulate knowledge, one of the byproduct of this movement is an increase in "single intellectual individuals" and...Gong Byeong-Ho is a good example of that."[118]

Unlike those who create services and products, it is often difficult for an intellectual entrepreneur to succeed through simple distribution and selling of knowledge, concepts, ideas, and principles.[119] However, for Gong, as he mentioned in one of his interviews, "it is only when every citizen becomes an intellectual entrepreneur themselves that Korea will prosper."[120]

When asked what the word innovation means to Gong, he says, "come to think about it, I have always strived towards for a ‘better life.’ I’ve achieved that through change and innovation. For me that has always meant breaking old boundaries and customs, never listening to others when they say that something should be done a certain way. I’ve always torn those boundaries down and moved forward. I’ve always been cognizant of other people's opinion, but never bothered too much about it. Life is a work of art and I found it a necessity, not a choice, to strive towards a better life."[121]

• 10s: In middle school, Gong begged his father to let him move to a city to continue his studies. He mentions that he has always been ambitious. Although from an ordinary family, he has worked his way up to attend one of the top three universities in Korea (Korea University).[122]
• 20s: Gong continued his journey towards an excellent life. During college when his family found itself in financial difficulties, Gong decided that it would be best for him and his family’s future to pursue his studies in the United States. Understanding that his parents would not be able to provide for him, he found the means (scholarships) to fund himself through his graduate studies. Moreover, having met his wife before moving to the US to continue his studies in economics at Rice University, Gong worked diligently to finish his studies as soon as possible and return to Korea to start a family.
• 30s: Recognizing his knack for writing, Gong pursued a career in academia and journalism to meet people from various walks of life and pursue a career that will allow him to cultivate his interest in expanding his own knowledge base. During his time as a researcher, Gong pursued what was at the time a revolutionary concept in Korea: creating publications aimed directly at the public (Gong was almost fired for this stunt). Gong further pursued a researcher position in Japan. It was also in his thirties that Gong found his purpose and passion in liberalism.[51] Through dedication and a lot of persuasion, Gong also succeeded in creating the Center for Free Enterprise where during his first three years he created and disseminated liberal ideas through the "Liberal Series." He further focused on creating a platform where academics and intellectuals alike could come together to share their ideas. Gong devoted his 30s to raise funds for the newly created CFE, through which he aimed to influence and affect positive policy changes in Korea, culminating in various publications, debate shows, and lectures through which Gong was able to accrue his status as the "guru." Gong ended his career in public services when he decided to pursue a different career path in the private sector.
• 40s: Having left his comfortable position in the public sector, Gong succeeded in creating his very own research institute under the name of Gong Institute. He established himself as a one-man company and spent most of his time churning out various books on diverse number of topics, and writing profusely on the Korean economy, management, etc. Gong recognized that his career laid in affecting change through conversations and writings and pursued that road fervently. One of the products of his work was a well-renowned book Korea in Ten Years which accurately predicted the economic demise of South Korea. Whilst pursuing his career, Gong also strove to provide his children with the best kind of education, sending both of his sons to study in US in the early 2000s.[123][124] Gong also created Self-Management Academy, one of his most innovative program which became one of the pillars of his business model.[125] Throughout his 40s, Gong focused on producing countless number of writings through his blogs, newsletters, and website.[126]
• 50s: Having started them in his 40s, Gong continued to give lectures and talks series to various corporations and public institutions. However, he's preference changed in his 50s as he came to realize that spiritual knowledge is just as important as practical knowledge on which he spent most of his career writing about. He turned his focus onto philosophy, especially western and ancient philosophy, and Christianity.[127][128] In Korea, the industry for biographies have not been as well established compared to other countries around the world. By publishing Kim Jae Chul's official biography, Gong created a new biography market in Korea.[129][130] Most recently, Gong has also pursued writing poetry.