“Yes, we can!”

Last May, Se Ri Park won the U.S. LPGA tour. Old memories came back to me upon hearing the good news for the first time in three and a half years. Back in the late 1990s, when shock from the financial crisis was crushing Korea, we comforted ourselves by watching golfer Se Ri Park and baseball player Chan Ho Park. Many young players worked hard to become “the second Se Ri Park,” and in the end, Ji-Yai Shin, despite her diminutive stature of 155 cm, became the number one ranked professional golfer in the world, and Shin-Soo Choo and many other players were highly active, raising Korean stature on the world stage.

Outside golf, there are many examples that put Korea on the world map. The still-vivid World Cup 2002 legend, the sweeping victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in baseball, in which the team defeated countless strong teams to produce another legend, Yu-na Kim’s gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, which set an overwhelming new world record, etc.

Every country has at least a thing or two to boast about, but the more I think about it, Korea is a “small but great nation.” It is not just the case in sports. Samsung Electronics is already a number one ranked company in the world. Last year, the business profits of Samsung Electronics in the third quarter as much as doubled the total business profits of nine Japanese electronics companies. This is truly astounding if you consider that as recently as 20 years ago, Korea had to beg to learn Japanese technology. In addition, cultural contents like films, games, etc. that are made in this small country are spreading around the world and generating the “Hallyu” craze.

According to reports released by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), products currently held by Korea ranked number one of 121 products in the world at the end of 2009. And in the 2010 World Competitiveness Yearbook released by Switzerland’s International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Korea placed 23 out of 58 surveyed countries. This is not only the highest Korea has placed in the report, but this is also the first time that Korea has placed ahead of 27th-ranked Japan. Korea is taking off as an economic powerhouse representing Asia and living up to its name.

Such is Korea’s enormous potential. A small peninsula nation has defeated the cry of so many world powers, and it has produced “the Han River miracle,” leaping forward again from the ruins of war 60 years ago. Now top global companies like GE, Sony, etc. are seeking us out to come learn our business management know-how.

“Yes, we can.” America’s first black president Barack Obama repeated this phrase like an incantation in his election acceptance speech. This might have been a resolve directed at himself. He is sure to have wanted it said of himself, and then of all Americans.

Looking at the numerous examples of success that have come out of the small land that is just half of the Korean peninsula, Korea’s potential is confirmed anew. That is why I want to urge today’s young people to dream even bigger and have even more confidence. Even if things are difficult now. If you have confidence and try your best, I believe you can achieve anything. Let’s strive to be number one in the world in the particular roles we have, in all levels of society. “Yes, we can!”