GOLFZON NEWDIN GROUP Chairman Young-Chan Kim Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Technology Management

• 5/3 (Wed), Received the First Doctorate in Technology Management from Chungnam National University’s Department of Technology Commercialization Convergence
• By converging IT and golf content, he has continued to lead a new golf course culture and contributed to the development of the domestic and global golf industry
• Selected as No. 1 among the ‘Most Influential People in the Asian Golf Industry’ announced by the U.S. ‘Golf Inc’ last April

GOLFZON NEWDIN Group announced on the 4th that Chairman Young-Chan Kim received an honorary doctorate in Technology Management from Chungnam National University’s Department of Technology Commercialization Convergence on 5/3 (Wed).

The conferral ceremony, held at Daedeok Hall of the Jeongsimhwa International Cultural Center at Chungnam National University, was attended by Chungnam National University President Jin-Suk Lee, GOLFZON NEWDIN Group Chairman Young-Chan Kim, Alumni Association President Do-Mook Kang, and other distinguished guests. The Department of Technology Commercialization Convergence was newly established this year to nurture specialists in the practical commercialization of technology linked to regional industries and to contribute to qualitative growth across the entire process of utilizing and disseminating domestic public research outcomes, and Chairman Young-Chan Kim was the first to receive a degree from the newly established department.

Chairman Young-Chan Kim, who laid the foundation for the development of the domestic and global golf industry by developing and distributing an unprecedented golf simulator that converges golf, IT, and culture, founded the screen golf venture company ‘GOLFZON’ in May 2000. GOLFZON subsequently transitioned to a holding company structure and has grown into a global golf platform company that now provides total golf services including △field golf △golf equipment distribution △golf academies, taking on the present form of GOLFZON NEWDIN Group.

In particular, Chairman Young-Chan Kim has continuously emphasized the importance of IT capabilities and talent-focused management in running the group, and based on this, GOLFZON invests around 5% of its revenue into research and development (R&D) and staffs 40% of its workforce with R&D personnel, striving to develop the domestic golf industry and to raise the standing of Korean golf around the world.

In addition, Chairman Young-Chan Kim, recognized for having completely transformed the paradigm of the global golf industry, has been honored for his contributions over the years—starting with becoming the first venture company in the Daedeok Research Complex to achieve KRW 100 billion in revenue in 2008, followed by △Grand Prize at the Daedeok Special Zone Innovative Technology Commercialization Awards (2009) △Presidential Commendation at the Sports Industry Awards (2009) △Order of Industrial Service Merit, Stone Tower Medal, at the Venture Company Awards (2009) △Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award (Grand Prize) at the Korea New Growth Management Awards (2016) △No. 1 in ‘Golf Inc’’s ‘2022 Most Influential People in the Asian Golf Industry’ (2023), among others.

GOLFZON NEWDIN Group Chairman Young-Chan Kim said, “I believe the core of GOLFZON NEWDIN Group’s management success is its ceaseless investment in research and development for IT innovation. I sincerely thank President Jin-Suk Lee and the university officials who conferred the degree, our employees who have shared the ups and downs with us all along, and the Daejeon local community that has given us so much interest and affection,” adding, “I wish Chungnam National University boundless development, and going forward, together with the growth of our company, I will do my utmost to lead the advancement of domestic technological capabilities and, furthermore, to showcase the excellence of Korea’s IT technology on the world stage.”

Meanwhile, GOLFZON NEWDIN Group fulfills its corporate social responsibility through a variety of social contribution activities, including △fostering young golf prospects and players △hosting the KPGA Regular Tour to contribute to the development of the domestic golf industry △creating jobs for the underprivileged △sponsoring and volunteering for vulnerable groups in the local community. In 2019, it received the ‘Gangnam-gu District Mayor’s Award’ in recognition of its contributions to social contribution activities in the Gangnam-gu area, and since 2020 it has donated KRW 500 million in neighborly love funds to the Daejeon Community Chest of Korea every year, joining the Gold membership of the ‘Honor Society for Giving’ in 2021—actively practicing neighborly love and putting into practice a management philosophy of sharing and consideration.