Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Corry Hong
Thank you Congressman Gerry Connolly, and Secretary Don Upson for the kind introduction.
And thank you to the
Institute of Corean-American Studies(ICAS) for
this tremendous honor. I am at once humbled and inspired by this prestigious award and
recognition. I am humbled because I never imagined growing up as a child in Korea, that I
would someday stand in this historic Cannon Caucus Room of the United States House of
Representatives and be so honored. I am a Korean by birth and I love the country of my
ancestors. I am an American by
choice because I love this country and all that it represents
in so many areas of human endeavor. With all the challenges that stand before us today, the
United States still affords individuals the greatest opportunity of any country in the world to
pursue the dreams of "
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Just as I did
many years ago in Korea, men and women of all ages around the world, still look to the United
States for example, inspiration and leadership. As a young man growing up in Korea, the
decision to come to the United States and my choice to study computer science were two of
the best early decisions I made. While I am humbled standing before you today, I am also
moved and energized because of what this award and the
ICAS
organization represents, a goal to improve cooperation, communication, and hence,
opportunities for citizens of all countries. It is that intersection of cooperation, communication
and opportunity between countries - the United States and Korea in particular - that motivated
me to found UNICOM and build it from a single employee in a 1 room office in Los Angeles into
that is today
UNICOM Global, one of the fastest growing IT companies in the world with
25 corporate entities around the globe. This founding vision continues to inspire me both in my
management of UNICOM Global and in my other activities of charity and mentorship. Today is a
fast and ever changing world and information technology is at the forefront of the innovations
to bring the world closer together. While IT and Green IT industries will continue to perform
above average growth, we must be ever-mindful and vigilant about potential pitfalls that IT
changes create especially related to geopolitical stability and the security of the planet. A
recent IBM Global CEO study indicated that over 90% of CEOs plan to adopt cloud, cyber
security, and smart computing application that correlate with the growing interest in Big Data
Analytics and predictive forecasting solutions to capitalize new business opportunities. The
term "Big Data" originates from within the open source community to capture and
manage analytics processes and to extract tangible values from the vast amounts of
unstructured data produced daily by web users.
According to the World Bank, over 2.4 Billion users access the internet, and there are over 6.5
Billion mobile-phone subscriptions. Facebook handles 40 Billion photos from its user base, and
Wal-Mart handles more than 1 Million customer transactions every hour. That volume equates
to approximately 2.5 Petabytes of data - the equivalent of 167 times the information contained
in all the books in the U.S. Library of Congress. Today IT spending has transformed into a global
economy on its own. Gartner Group and Forrester Research forecast 2012 global IT spending at
$3.8 Trillion. If it were its own country, "IT" would rank the 5th largest in terms of
GDP. The U.S. government alone spent $490 Billion on goods and services in the fiscal year
ended September 2011. The federal government is expected to spend $121 Billion in the IT
market in fiscal year 2012. These staggering numbers should inspire technology industry
leaders to understand the responsibility they face, and this is precisely what guides my
leadership of UNICOM Global going forward. UNICOM Global is focused on creating new jobs,
continued investments in research and development, and ensuring organizations around the
world can count on UNICOM Global as a trusted IT partner.
It’s clear to me that Washington DC is different than any other place. The Beltway is full of
people who are extremely sophisticated in information technology. But the vocabulary is
different here. The Fiscal Cliff, the Fiscal Cliff? Well, as a technician, no big deal. Order a Fiscal
Firewall v2013 early edition from UNICOM for just $9.99, and problem solved. If you order
today, you will receive both Republican and Democrat versions at absolutely no additional
charge. But Wait, if you order tonight, you will receive a brand new DVD entitled
"
Taxpayers Gone Wild Kangnam Style" absolutely free!
America began with technology and cross cultural partnerships. John Smith got here because
of technological innovations in shipbuilding, mapmaking and navigation. His relationship with
Pocahontas was a cross cultural dividend. If John Smith had a Twitter account we might know
more. But I think we know enough. If Pocahontas had been on Facebook, she would’ve had
more hits than Kim Kardashian!
In the classical Korean culture, knowledge is conceived somewhat differently.
Technology is not some permanent structure to be discovered behind a changing process, but
a perceived intelligibility and continuity that can be mapped within the dynamic process itself.
Therefore, "
Technology" and "
Innovation" are mutually
shaping and being shaped, and exist as a dynamic calculus of contrasting form emerging in
tension with each other. The most widely studied military classic in human history is the Sun-
tzu,
The Art of War. (403-221 B.C.) During this period in China, warfare was transformed
from a gentlemanly art to an industry. Today, in the modern information age, Master Sun’s
wisdom of words is studied by politicians, corporate executives and financial analysts. Master
Sun said: "
Victory can be anticipated, but it cannot be forced."
Supplementary, Master Sun said:
"He who knows the enemy and himself, Will never be in a hundred battles at risk. He who
does not know the enemy but knows himself, Will sometimes win and sometimes lose; He who
does not know the enemy nor himself, Will be at risk in every battle."
Master Sun’s pearls of wisdom are both an inspiration and an ethos to guide the path forward
for each of us, in all walks of life.
I want to thank my wife and my three sons, and the entire family of UNICOMGlobal employees,
for their inspiration and support.
So, humbled, inspired and proud, I accept this
ICAS Liberty Award 2012
with a solemn commitment to do all I can in support of that grand vision of enhanced
cooperation, communication and opportunity between nations.
Thank you and God bless you!
This page last updated December 21, 2012 jdb