On Our Humanistic Journey

The Chinese philosopher Confucius considered ‘仁’ and ‘孝’ to be the greatest human virtues. ‘仁’ refers to loving others and fulfilling one’s moral responsibilities, while ‘孝’ refers to honouring one’s parents and community as the foundation of family and society. This philosophy of Confucius is deeply rooted in the founding and leadership of VATECH’s Chief Executive Officer, Changjun Ro.

His management philosophy is epitomised by the Confucian phrase ‘以人爲本’ — that people are the foundation of everything. In the early 2000s, Korea lacked digital X-ray equipment, forcing dentists to rely on inconvenient analogue methods. Ro, a graduate of Oriental History, founded VATECH with a mission to contribute to the health of humanity. Having watched families fall apart after losing their jobs in the IMF crisis, he vowed to build a company that puts people first — where employees are happy.

Like the spirit of Confucius, a deep concern and love for people became the cornerstone of VATECH. In the early days the reality was harsh: despite a lack of funding, he pledged everything he had to secure his employees’ livelihoods and raise operating funds — an act that embodied Confucius’ teaching that ‘a man who is in trouble should think of others first.’

Developing the technology was not easy either. Faced with a lack of research infrastructure and outside scepticism, he learned by importing parts from overseas and assembling them himself. When his Finnish technology partner suddenly went bankrupt, he personally persuaded the researcher to come to Korea and continue the work. In the spirit of Confucius’ ‘學而時習之不亦說乎’ (Is it not a joy to learn and practise?), constant learning became the strength to overcome each crisis.

Jean-Paul Sartre once said, ‘Existence precedes essence.’ Sartre’s humanist existentialism sits at the heart of VATECH’s growth through crises and trials. Ro saw VATECH’s ‘existence’ as sustainable management, believing that only a company with guaranteed permanence could provide stable jobs. The question was: what essence would sustain that existence? The answer he found was ‘No. 1 in the world through technological innovation’ — for him, more than a number; it was the task and process that had to be fulfilled to secure VATECH’s existence, the happiness of its employees.

VATECH defined itself through constant choices and actions. His choice to become the world’s No. 1 dental imaging company was accompanied by bringing a cot to the company and sleeping alongside his employees throughout the development period. The leader’s example fuelled everyone’s enthusiasm, resulting in Korea’s first digital panoramic system, the PaX-300.

The joy was short-lived: VATECH was ignored by a well-known competitor at its first IDS. Rather than blame the situation, Chairman Ro reinforced his goal to become the best in the world, and in 2005 he challenged himself to innovate — with Dental CT as the starting point. His passion for human health was so strong that he even collected bones from the pork his employees ate at breakfast to use in experiments. This challenge led to Implagraphy, the world’s first 3-in-1 (Pano, CT, Ceph) machine, which took IDS 2007 by storm. His path echoes Sartre’s dictum that ‘man creates himself through the choices he makes.’

By choosing his own path and facing much difficulty and suffering along the way, Ro achieved his goal of becoming a number-one global company and contributing to human health.

The way Chairman Ro has led technological innovation resembles Erich Fromm’s concept of ‘love.’ Fromm believed the essence of humanity is fulfilled through productive love and creative activity. Affection and love for humanity — this is the reason and the driving force behind VATECH’s technological innovation.

Fromm defined love not merely as an emotion, but as an ‘active practice of helping others grow.’ VATECH’s leadership in the low-dose paradigm was never only about technological advancement; it was about ‘people-centred innovation’ that put patients’ health first.

Ro’s love for the people of VATECH naturally extended to his employees. Fromm pointed to the problem of a dehumanising organisational culture that alienates people. To reform that culture and promote collaboration, Ro personally studied collaboration tools and, in 2012, introduced a system called OASIS — enabling teamwork and transparency, and unlocking creativity across the organisation in a virtuous cycle of innovation.

During the pandemic, the global dental industry came to a standstill and workers’ livelihoods were threatened. In the midst of the crisis, Chairman Ro expanded the sales-service force to strengthen customer relationships. He held one-on-one consultations to educate customers and ease their inconveniences, ran webinars to help dentists move forward, and introduced an instalment system to share the burden. By increasing contact and offering comfort in difficult times, VATECH earned 62% sales growth after the pandemic (2022 against 2020). Ro’s philosophy of sharing others’ pain was the realisation of ‘Humanistic Solidarity.’

Chairman Changjun Ro explores existential anxiety as he ponders VATECH’s sustainability. We often believe our achievements come from our own strength — but this is an illusion of an independent self that leads to existential anxiety. Paradoxically, many people then lose themselves in the very relationships they form to relieve that anxiety. In response, Ro explored how to maintain independence while building healthy relationships with others. The Ascent stage moves in both directions.

The path to healthy human relationships

Martin Buber once said, ‘I exist through others.’ Our existence is defined and changed by our relationships. Based on this philosophy, Ro sought to create a culture where employees recognise each other as ‘you’ through shared experience and solidarity — among themselves and within the wider community.

Buber divided relationships into Ich-Es (‘I–It’) and Ich-Du (‘I–You’): the former instrumental, the latter a deep encounter. To build true ‘I–Thou’ relationships, VATECH introduced ‘Compraxis’ — an attempt to transform volunteering from a one-time experience into a process of solidarity lasting years. It is not merely an act of kindness; it is about creating a path to walk together.

My days are filled with constant choices and decisions. Amidst a rapidly changing marketplace, fierce competition and endless responsibilities, a question emerged.

What drives me?

Meditation is a journey to find the answer. Every day, at dawn, in a space with no computer and no phone, I let it all go. Inhale, and exhale. And clear consciousness…

I practise 108 times, letting go of attachments and focusing on essence. Every time my forehead touches the floor, every time I release one desire, every time I rise, I make a new commitment. In these brief moments of meditation and practice, I look inside myself — where there are people, not numbers, and meaning, not sales.

Our journey as human beings is not about accumulating more; it is about shedding what we don’t need. My life, the direction of the company, the reason for innovation… in the end, it is simple.