Lotte employees put to test on Korean history

As part of its efforts to expand abroad, Lotte Department Store said it is asking employees to take a national Korean history certification test, saying “knowing oneself” is important in order to understand others.
Today, 1,900 Lotte employees will take the Korean history certification test, offered by the state-run National Institute of Korean History, the store said in a release.
The institute held a regular nationwide test in May, but today’s test is specifically designed to accommodate the large number of test takers from Lotte.
Slightly less than half of all Lotte employees will take the 50-question test, conducted at 11 test venues in 10 cities, the store said.
Employees are not required to take the exam, but a new promotion system requires those who want to get promoted to have a certain level of knowledge in Korean history. That level is higher for positions on the upper rungs of the executive ladder. The system was implemented by Lotte Department Store President Lee Chul-woo.
“It’s true that studying history is difficult, but most agree with Lee’s vision that a firm sense of history is required for globalization,” Lim Hyoung-wook, a Lotte spokesman, said in the release.
Lotte, a multinational firm, has operations in Asia, Europe and the United States.

By Lee Hyun-sang JoongAng Ilbo
[wohn@joongang.co.kr]