Lee Jae-yong, the chairman of Samsung Electronics, was chosen by Gen Z, those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, as the top leader of the year. The rankings of other leaders like Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and Kim Seung-youn, chairman of Hanwha Group, also saw noticeable increases.
On the 19th, according to a survey conducted by the recruitment platform Catch on 3,079 Gen Z job seekers and workers, Lee Jae-yong secured the top spot with an overwhelming 52% approval rating as the ‘most respected leader of 2025,’ maintaining his position after topping the 2022 survey as well.
The main reason respondents chose Chairman Lee was for his ‘expertise and competence,’ which garnered 39% of the votes. This was followed by ‘clear goals and vision presentation’ (15%), ‘listening and communication’ (12%), and ‘supporting members’ approval and growth’ (12%).
Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, took the second place with 9%, climbing five spots from 7th place in the previous survey. In third place was Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, with 7%, maintaining the same position as the last survey.
Kim Seung-youn, chairman of Hanwha Group, who jumped six spots to 4th place from 10th, was followed by Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, in 5th place with 5%. In 6th place was Jeong Ki-seon, chairman of HD Hyundai, who entered the top rankings for the first time. His positive assessment by Gen Z is attributed to his moves regarding future industries and organizational changes since taking office recently. Following them were Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group (7th with 4%), Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group (8th with 3%), Park Jung-won, chairman of Doosan Group (9th with 3%), and Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group (10th with 3%).
Meanwhile, in response to a question about the key buzzwords in the 2025 job market, ‘activation of AI recruitment’ took the top spot with 29%. This indicates a shift in overall employment preparation methods as AI recruitment processes become more widespread. Other notable keywords included ‘increase in gap year proportions’ (20%) and ‘preference for second-time freshers’ (17%).