Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong returns from a business trip to Japan, arriving at Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on April 9. (Yonhap)
Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong returns from a business trip to Japan, arriving at Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on April 9. (Yonhap)

Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong has introduced a new initiative to support employees taking conversation tests in seven foreign languages, reflecting his ongoing commitment to cultivating global talent.

According to industry sources on Thursday, Samsung Electronics informed all employees in its Device Experience division on Monday that it will fully reimburse the cost of conversation test fees — up to twice a year — for seven languages: Korean, English, Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese.

Samsung has already been administering widely recognized language tests — the OPIc (English, Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish), TSC (Chinese) and SJPT (Japanese) — internally. These in-house exams are known to offer the advantages of lower fees and faster results compared to external testing centers.

Although the internal scores are not valid for external certification, they are automatically recorded as part of the company’s internal language qualifications system, which can be considered in evaluations for promotions, performance reviews and overseas business assignments.

The policy aligns with Lee’s broader vision to enhance the global capabilities of Samsung’s workforce— an emphasis he has consistently made.

In February 2023, while speaking with new recruits in the Visual Display division at Samsung Digital City in Suwon, Lee shared, “I regret not studying foreign languages more. I speak English and Japanese, and I try hard not to forget them. But I also wish I had studied Chinese and French.”

He went on to emphasize that learning a foreign language is also about understanding a country’s way of thinking, values and history, encouraging employees to seize the opportunity to broaden their linguistic skills.

Samsung has been actively expanding its global talent strategy.

In August 2023, it launched its first hiring program for experienced foreign professionals seeking to work in Korea, followed by additional recruitment in R&D this past February. Most recently, the company appointed world-renowned industrial designer Mauro Porcini as its first foreign design chief.

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)