Do you have particular brand of Soju that you order in a bar? People, who do not even drink alcohol, may know Jinro and Doosan. They are famous top rival Soju brands. One man worked for Jinro’s Public Relations Department for 21 years, but now he is the President of Cheoeum-cheorum’s a successful public relations company, Baum Communication (Cheoeum-cheorum is the Soju’s name, which is produced by Doosan). He is Kim, Sang-su and he graduated from Chung-Ang University’s (CAU) graduated school of Mass Communication in 1987. The Chung-Ang Herald met him and heard about his school and public relations life.   

CHA: How about your graduate school life?

Kim: When I went to graduate school, there was only one Mass Communications graduate school. It was CAU’s graduate school. In addition, CAU’s graduate school was very lively or seemed more so than any other graduate schools. I worked at an office in Singil-dong. CAU’s graduated school was near my work. For these reasons, I choose CAU’s graduated school. Now I can remember many things from those days. There were diverse people who were younger or older than I was. Taking lessons with them was a good experience for me and taught me about human relationships. Sometimes, students drank alcohol after lectures. We called that time third class. It was my favorite time.

CHA: You seem to like drinking, do you?

Kim: I like alcohol. Every Baum Communication employee is a good drinker except one person. My drinking capacity is three bottles of Soju. However, I like a glass of beer with a small glass of whiskey submerged in it. It’s called poktanju. Its merit is that everyone drinks the same amount. In fact, when I drink Soju, I drink more than others do, because people offer a glass of Soju. I do not like this. Therefore, my enterprises dine together with poktanju as the preferred drink.    

CHA: Please introduce Baum Communication.

Kim: First, it means tree in German. Our office building’s name was Buljae. Buljae is hill. I named my enterprise ‘Tree on the Hill’. It is a public relations firm for vicarious enterprises. I worked at Jinro for 21 years, after that I went through two public relations companies and another company that was related to the Korean flower Rose of Sharon. However, it is not easy to do business in partnership, and to do public relations. On that account, I established Baum Communication in December last year with a determination that I be able to do my own work. The maximum number of clients we have is eight. It is good for me to have a meeting two times one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In this way, from Monday to Thursday, I can meet eight clients in a week. When possible, I take part in every meeting. It gives trust to the client. I do not want too many clients, but I want clients that are long term and continuing. We also manage only consumer goods. It is products that I have worked with mainly in my professional career, and it is easy for me to manage.

CHA: Do you have special time or practice to get an idea?

Kim: I have no time or practice for the expressed purpose to make a new idea. Sometimes, I get new ideas while drinking by accident. Once I drank with my Ildong Food clients, we happened to talk about the low birth rate in Korea. A capital idea suggested itself to me. It was to give a 50 percent discount to mothers who have a third baby. I suggested that lightly. However, my clients heard that proposal, and accepted it. It was used as one method strategy of public relations for Foodis. It became the origin of integrating our country’s low birth rate problem with public relations. Actually, many other products did public relations with this strategy after Foodis’s. Like this, the idea came across my mind by chance. In my esteem, we do not have to have special time or practice. I do not think about problem deeply, but always think lightly. Then a good idea occurs to me.   

CHA: We heard your father is a famous poet, Kim, Kwang-rim. How did he influence you? 

Kim: When I was young, I played violin. However, I did not want to learn. Therefore, I quit learning the violin on the pretext of studying to enter Middle School. A second family member was engaged in the field of sculpture, a third younger brother was interested in Chinese language and literature. He is now a professor in Taiwan. In addition, my youngest sister majored in Photography. Now if one comes to think about it, everyone in my family, except me, is engage in a creative or creation activity. Maybe my father influenced me to some degree.

CHA: How do you go about finding qualified employees for your enterprise? Do you have a particular standard?

Kim: I heard that there is a youth employment problem, and it is serious. I do not know what reason there is for that. People cannot start working directly for a company even if they major in public relations. So, Baum Communication has to train the new employees. People who work for Baum Communications now must finish this training. Everyone who finishes the training except people, who were relieved of office duty, became a full-time regular-status employee. People who work here passed the internship. I observed carefully their behavior while they are interning. I look at them with a focus on their mental attitude for learning and potential. I consider only the person. His age or the university he graduated from is not a concern.

CHA: What are you planning in the future?

Kim: Above all, I want to cultivate Baum Communications. I want people who worked at Baum Communication to feel proud that they worked at a good enterprise and are considered successful at public relations. For this, I persevere in my efforts for employees to work in an atmosphere of freedom. All in good time, I will hand over this enterprise to one of my employees or juniors. I want him or her, who is in charge of Baum Communications to work hard. Personally, at a ripe old age, when I quit a job or retire from office, maybe my chest will be tight. Because the thing I was used to is meeting people and talking with people frequently, but when I retire from office, I will not have meetings or talk with people to achieve a contract. I think that there will be many people who will become like me in the future. Therefore, I hope to make meetings with people who were engaged in public relations and press like me. For this reason, I learn cooking Korean-style food. I want to make food for them with my own hands. Of course, maybe I can call a cook. Although in that case, it is more helpful to serve food then to learn cooking.         

When we arrived at his office, his employees and he welcomed us. His office is a very comfortable place. We understand his words and the idea that there are always problems to be solved. Every employee looked like he or she was working with a pleasant and liberal mind. We also felt his mind was like that of his employees.