LG CNS veteran Song Ji-seong reflects on 35-year smart city career

LG CNS senior manager Song Ji-seong, who has specialized in smart city projects since 2003, shared reflections on his 35-year career in a video released by LG Group ahead of his retirement. Having traveled to the United States 15 times a year for work, Song plans to continue studying urban design and writing a book after leaving his position.

In the rapidly changing IT industry, "experience" and "seniority" are sometimes dismissed as being "old" and lagging behind new technologies. However, the data and grounds for judgment accumulated through witnessing the history of technological transitions become irreplaceable assets. A video released by LG Group captures the 35-year career and retirement reflections of LG CNS senior manager Song Ji-seong, who has walked a single path in the smart city field since 2003.

"Explaining history beyond solution understanding"... Why team leaders seek Song

Since 2003, Song Ji-seong has been involved in smart city-related projects, participating in the establishment of master plans for major South Korean cities, including Sejong, Busan, and Saemangeum Waterfront City. He currently continues his expertise by providing urban development proposals and conducting classes for smart city developers in Utah, United States.

Colleagues and team leaders who worked with Song in the field evaluate his seniority not merely as proficiency, but as a "basis for trust." A colleague who worked with Song for 10 years stated, "A veteran who knows the history and experience of every project is very rare both within the team and across the entire company. Beyond simply understanding solutions, he knows the development process of our country, the resulting grounds for judgment, and past difficulties, allowing him to provide much more persuasive explanations to customers."

Team-level leaders also cite Song as a "senior one can trust and rely on." This is because, as IT technology changes rapidly, he has constantly strived to bridge the gap in the field by learning how new technologies, such as AI-integrated CCTV technology, are applied to business rather than remaining stuck in existing knowledge. One team leader highly evaluated his proactive attitude, noting, "Song often found and performed necessary tasks before a leader even requested them."

"Fear of leaving work done for 20 years... striving not to be a source of shame for juniors"

Having been immersed in one field for nearly 35 years, his feelings ahead of retirement are complex. Song confessed to having great fear regarding the fact that he must leave the work he has devoted himself to for nearly 20 years to enter a new stage. In particular, as his juniors grew into team leaders, the sense of responsibility to show them a performance that would not be shameful as a senior was his greatest mental burden.

There were also hurdles in his professional life. During times when he felt frustrated because promotions did not go as planned, he managed his mind by relieving stress through mountain climbing. Recalling the process of silently enduring those difficulties, he said, "I think I was so immersed in work that I identified myself with it."

A daughter's recording of her father's back, "I want to study cities even after retirement"

It was his daughter, Song Min-ju, who recorded the video of her father ahead of his retirement. Song Min-ju discovered her father's passion while reflecting on the times he could not be with the family because he had to travel to the United States 15 times a year for projects. "The way my father worked was still active and passionate, to the point where his eyes would sparkle," she said.

Song Ji-seong expressed his intention to maintain his expertise even after retirement. He revealed plans to visit overseas cities such as Paris and Genoa to directly ask and learn about the history and processes by which cities were created and the difficulties encountered in those processes. He added the ambition to write a book on urban design based on the experience he has accumulated. Defining himself as "someone who has seen the end of what they do, a veteran in my field," he continues his final journey in his current position.

Source: original video (YouTube)