One day, the old man decided to level two mountains--grain by grain, rock by rock--because they had forced him to take long detours when he traveled. His neighbors told him he was deluded, but Yu Gong remained undeterred.
"Your mind is too inflexible," he told them. "Even if I die, I have my children, my grandchildren and all their scions. My line will go on and on, but those two mountains can never get taller or bigger--what do I have to worry about?"
If Su had his druthers, he would like his employees to show the same sort of grit and determination in their daily work.
"If one steadily strives in his work, he will eventually achieve something great," he said in an interview with CNETAsia.
Kim has taken his own advice to heart. In a career at LG spanning 35 years, he has outgrown his rural beginnings to become the CEO of a top global enterprise. Some might say that in the business world, he has moved (or leveled) mountains himself.