In 2022, Hyundai Motor Group had become the world's third-largest automaker by sales volume. Under Executive Chair Euisun Chung's leadership, HMG was shaping its vision as a "game changer" in the global automotive industry. The company no longer viewed itself as a traditional car manufacturer, but as a provider of smart mobility solutions. The case study explores Hyundai's strategies to pivot beyond the "fast follower" mission that had guided its rapid international expansion since the 1980s, under the leadership of founding Chairman Ju-yung Chung. Three decades later, South Korea's automaker declared its next goal: achieve global leadership in vehicle electrification. Hyundai's IONIQ 5 and the Kia EV6 were award-winning electric vehicles; the company planned to expand to 23 electric vehicle lines and sell more than 1 million EVs by 2025. Beyond electrification, Hyundai was making big bets on hydrogen energy, AI technology, robotics, and advanced air mobility-all of which could help make Hyundai the pioneering leader of the transportation sector of the future.

South Korean steelmaking giant POSCO in 2021 had become a global company with businesses in 52 countries. In 2018, POSCO's new chairman and CEO had inaugurated a broader business philosophy, espousing "Corporate Citizenship" practices as a way for the company to give back to society, beyond the production of steel or creation of jobs. This philosophy included new principles, innovative R&D, action plans, and internal and external cooperation to address climate change, sustainable development, safety, economic and social assistance programs, and cultural facilities-all connected to this broader goal of being good global and local citizens. South Korean citizens had long viewed the company as the bedrock of Korea's industrialization, and a symbol of national pride and "can-do" spirit. Would South Koreans, along with POSCO's internal and external stakeholders, embrace this new management approach, and the company's new cultural identity?

SK Group, one of Korea's largest conglomerates, announced its Double Bottom Line (DBL) initiative in 2018. In January 2019, Chairman Tae-won Chey unveiled the company's pledge not only to monitor and report SK's social value, but also see social value account for 50 percent of the company's key performance indicators. This case study follows SK's shift to DBL management and efforts to place social value at the core of its business model. Social media and a hyper-connected society heaped unprecedented pressure on corporates to deliver value and to make sure no-one was left behind. To implement its DBL initiative, SK, a leading producer of energy, chemicals, telecoms, and semiconductors, needed to investigate how to measure social value created in all its business operations in monetary terms - whether value created (positive value) or value destroyed (negative value). SK began to measure its indirect contributions to the economy and business activity, in addition to social contributions like employee volunteer programs, and SK donations and CSR activities. These efforts covered all aspects of SK's operations, from the 3,600 SK-operated gas stations throughout Korea to water-free scrubbers designed to process impurities discharged during semiconductor production. The case also looks at SK's efforts to explore new institutional frameworks to multilateralize its social value agenda, to build a common and actionable approach to social value creation and measurement within the broader global business community.

JTBC, which began operations in 2011, provided press coverage, drama shows, and entertainment programs. Within a relatively brief period, the company had gained the position of Korea's most trusted press outlet, and played a pivotal role in reporting key information related to the controversial case of President Park Geun-hye and her advisor - information that ultimately led to the president's impeachment in March 2017. The case study details the legal and technological transformation of South Korea's media landscape, offers a survey of the top players in provision of news and entertainment programs, and describes the strategies JTBC adopted to move quickly in a rapidly transforming industry.

In 2017, AmorePacific (AP) was the world's seventh-largest cosmetics, competing head-to-head with leading companies like L'Oréal and Estée Lauder. This case describes AP's unique approach to beauty products, which reflected the corporate credo of "Harmony and Balance" and other philosophies that traced their roots in Eastern philosophy. AP's view of yin and yang, for instance, was integral to the company's approach to R&D. The case also looks at how AP approached the beauty and skin care needs of Korean women initially, developing new make-up and skin care products as well as entirely new beauty routines-based on an Eastern medicine view that the body undergoes substantial changes every seven years. The platform upon which AP formulated and implemented its strategies could be explained as a "cushion-like," flexible, and adaptable organization structure. While many Korean companies continue to be heavily male-oriented, the AP organization was quite unusual. Respect for women, a progressive approach to childcare and flexible schedules, and open communication were hallmarks of how AP operated. AP employees were expected to become "creative craftsmen" who embraced new ways to create new beauty products. The products they created, from the IOPE Air Cushion to the Laneige Beauty Sleeping Pack, reflected this approach.

On the evening of June 10, 2011, the first European tour of Korean idol groups was held in Paris. With European fans demanding tickets and organizing a flashmob rally in front of the Louvre Museum, SM Entertainment, the producers, immediately set up an additional European concert. The success of the Paris concert elevated the status of K-pop and showed that it held potential in the global market. Behind the development of K-pop was the unique production system created by Soo-man Lee of SM Entertainment. When he established SM Entertainment in 1995, Lee introduced a systematic production system that integrated the functions of record distribution, agency, and management and enabled the company to make long-term investments in talented artists. The adoption of a sustainable growth model led SM to emerge as the leader in the Korean entertainment industry. This case explores in depth SM Entertainment's talent development process. It also traces the successes and failures that SM experienced, primarily in China, Japan, and Korea and discusses Lee's vision of building a "virtual nation." Lee believed that "the world's biggest star would come from the largest market," thus explaining his focus on succeeding in the Chinese market and grooming Chinese talent. The case concludes by examining a number of strategies that SM Entertainment used to develop a presence in the global music market.