Samsung has been present in Panama for 33 years since it began operations in 1989. However, the company’s relationship with this country dates back to 1973, when the parent company Samsung Electronics exported the first black and white televisions to the country. They left Korea and from Panama were distributed to other markets in America.
The strategic location of Panama, as well as its Canal and the receptiveness of its people have been fundamental values of this nation that Samsung has been able to appreciate. Panama is a country that has opened its doors to investment and know how that companies like Samsung have shared among Panamanian citizens. A cultural exchange that enriches both nations.
To endorse these excellent relations between Panama and Korea, the president and CEO of Samsung Latin America, Hong Sang Jo, paid a cordial visit to the First Lady of Panama, Yazmín Colón de Cortizo, last Thursday, June 30. In the meeting, in which Samsung executives and officials from the Panamanian education sector also participated, the government’s support for Samsung’s educational programs was thanked and the candidacy of the Korean city of Busan for the 2030 World Expo was discussed, among other topics.
A common approach: education
In 2013, Samsung launched its new global Corporate Citizenship strategy with a focus on education, employment, health and the environment.
With its educational programs, among which Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus stand out, Samsung makes a fundamental contribution to society, expanding the possibilities of students and teachers and generating a representative change in those impacted communities, and since 2021 the First Lady of Panama has supported these two Samsung programs in the country.
As PADF Goodwill Ambassador for STEM Education of the Pan American Development Foundation, Ms. Colón de Cortizo has focused on promoting this innovative educational model as a strategy to develop the skills of students from Panama and Latin America for the XXI century. And in this they have agreed with Samsung, whose Solve for Tomorrow program encourages young people to use knowledge of STEM subjects to solve a problem in their community.
The Office of the First Lady was also one of the public sector mentors for the Samsung Virtual School program, launched in 2020 during the pandemic. For this year it is estimated to continue executing the mentoring program for the Ministry of Education and other NGOs to impact students in the public sector.
In addition, Samsung has donated 160 Flips electronic whiteboards to 136 schools and early childhood centers to promote STEM education in Panama for 44 thousand students.
The meeting was also attended by Sarina Sitton, Director of Social Assistance of the Government of Panama; Indira D’Oyen, Director of Communications; Marvin Castillo, president of FundaSteam, and for Samsung Electronics, Hokyun Kim, vice president of Public Affairs of Samsung Latin America; Mario Laffitte, Vice President of Institutional Relations of Samsung Electronics Latin America; Helvio Kanamaru, Director of Corporate Citizenship and ESG at Samsung; and María Fernanda Hernández, manager of Corporate Citizenship of Samsung Central America and the Caribbean, Pablo Ramírez manager of government relations
