It was a day in April 2021. Lee Myung-Wu, Head of HC’s Cambodian operations, was doing fieldwork in a mango farm in Kompong Speu Province, Cambodia, about three hours way from the capital, Phnom Penh. “It was already two months since COVID-19 started spreading in Cambodia, but the Cambodian government announced that there would be no lockdown,” he recalled, “so I believed the announcement and continued with my usual schedule of going back and forth between my office in Phnom Penh and the farm in Kompong Speu.”

If it had gone the way he believed, we would not have had a story to tell. The Cambodian government prohibited travel across provinces at midnight on the day Lee was on the farm, and even banned people from going outdoors in big cities such as Phnom Penh. The way back to his residence in Phnom Penh was blocked.

The farm was located in the rainforest where there were few houses nearby. After two to three weeks of lockdown, food and daily necessities ran out. “From then on, it was a matter of life or death,” he said, “and we fished in a nearby river and even dried mangoes from the farm just in case that the lockdown would last longer than expected.” He added, “I’ll never forget the time when I fished and cleaned the catch just to fill my hungry stomach.”

One of the local employees couldn’t take it anymore and ventured out to get toilet paper and other necessities. Avoiding the vigilance of the military and police, he drove his motorcycle through the backcountry with no paved roads. The lockdown lasted for five weeks, but fortunately, neither Lee nor the local employees got sick or hurt during that time.

 
※ “It’s sweet and big.” The Cambodian mango is catching up to the Korean apple mango

Mangoes with foam net covers are piled up at the Hyundai Corporation Distribution Center in Cambodia.

The Cambodian mango farm, which Lee’s team managed to save against all odds during the COVID-19 pandemic, started back in 2014 when HC purchased a 2.6㎢ farm, an area comparable to that of Yeouido in Seoul.

Since then, HC has gone through the process of growing mango trees, building quarantine and distribution centers for export, and passing the on-site inspection of the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. All these efforts led to the importation of the first batch into Korea in 2020.

Although mango sales slowed down for a while due to the pandemic, HC is expanding its sales channels not only in Korea but also in other affluent countries with high purchasing power, including France, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In the first quarter of this year, it exceeded the domestic import performance of last year and has been working in earnest to expand its sales volume.

The Cambodian mango is highly competitive. Compared to the Thai counterpart, which accounts for 70% of the Korean mango market, it has a thicker and sweeter pulp. The disadvantage is that it is more difficult to transport as its skin is thinner. HC’s strategy is to import high-quality mangoes targeting the premium market.

 
※ Hyundai Corporation, “Looking for another Lee Myung-Wu”

New employees of Hyundai Corporation in training is harvesting mangos at the mango farm in Cambodia.

Hyundai Corporation Group is recruiting applicants for new employees until April 28. Job openings are diverse, spanning many departments including overseas sales, planning, accounting, finance, and human resources.

Another characteristic of the Cambodian mango business is that Lee Myung-Wu, the head of the business, is a young man in his 30s. This is attributable to Hyundai Corporation’s unique personnel system: If you have discovered or developed a new business in Korea, then the company gives you the authority to run the local operations of that business, regardless of your age or years of experience.

Mr. Lee said, “I paid attention to how Cambodian mangoes were being sold at low prices in neighboring countries because they could not find sales channels and came up with this business idea.” He also added, “Hyundai Corporation Group will be a good choice for those who have the passion and enthusiasm to discover and run a business.”

 
※ Summary

1. Hyundai Corporation employees did not give up and sustained their mango farm in Cambodia despite the COVID-19 lockdown.

2. Sweet, large, and high-quality, the Cambodian mango is expected to contribute to the stabilization of the high-priced Korean mango market.

3. The person in charge turns out to be in his 30s. If you are an enterprising job seeker, Hyundai Corporation Group is for you!

April 20, 2024
Maeil Business Newspaper