In Memory of Pony Chung

Hyundai Development dedicates Pony Chung Hall in honor of late chairman

Hyundai Development Co. dedicated the Pony Chung Hall of the main lounge of its building in southern Seoul to the memory of the late Chung Se-young, former chairman of the company and also former chairman of Hyundai Motor Co. He earned the nickname "Pony"after the name of the first sedan model exported overseas when he was chairman of the auto company. He passed away on May 21, 2005.
The company said Pony Chung is a legend in the country's auto industry for his great contributions to the sector by leading Hyundai Motor to build the base for the mighty growth the company now enjoys. The hall is a lasting memory to Pony Chung's firm belief and unyielding spirit of challenge to help make Hyundai Motor the global automaker it is today.
He took over Hyundai Development Co. as honorary chairman in 1999 and remained with the construction firm until 2005.
The company set aside a portion of the main lounge of its headquarters building in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul,
to build the memorial hall for its former chairman on the occasion of the third anniversary of Chung's death. The hall is a complex cultural space with a plush interior designed by world-renowned designer Peter Remidios. He used stones and trees and other natural materials to display Hyundai Development's solid image characterized by the grandness and refinement that can only be expressed in the i-Park Tower, the name of the company's building in southern Seoul.
Installed in the hall is a large work of art some three meters wide and 15 meters high with the name 'Al Mio Capo,'remembering the legacy of the late leader in English. The work was created by Professor Park Jong-seo of Kookmin University in Seoul. He used the traces of a hammer to put together the work to showcase the production process of the Pony, the first sedan produced by Hyundai Motor. Also on display at the hall are exhibits of materials that explain the Pony Chung Foundation, set up in memory of the late former chairman, and copies of the Pony Chung Reform Award.
Inside Pony Chung Hall is a small concert hall with 110 seats and a stage 10 meters across and five meters in diagonal, just big enough to hold small concerts and exhibitions. The space is equipped with top-class lighting and acoustic facilities with videotaping and recording equipment. There is also a waiting room for performers near the stage.
A large sliding door will be used to close off the hall when it holds some events so that the space can be used as part of the main lounge of the building when the hall is not in use.
The hall is equipped with visual and sound systems so that those in the lounge of the building can listen to or watch the events inside the hall. The hall will be connected to the Youngchang Musical Instrument's music hall located in the i-Park Tower II so that it can be used as a classical music hall and a space for diverse cultural events.
On June 15, the hall held an opening concert moderated by pianist Shin Su-jeong with some 100 guests in attendance including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Hyundai Development Chairman Chung Mong-kyu, President Kim Il-gon of the Daewon Cultural Foundation and other invited guests. nw

A view of the Pony Chung Hall dedicated to the late Chung Se-young, former chairman of Hyundai Motor Co., and honorary chairman of Hyundai Development Co.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, left, and Chairman Chung Mong-kyu of Hyundai Development Co. at the opening of the Pony Chung Hall at the main lounge of the I-Park Tower in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul May 15.