Lim Jong-ryong, chairman of Woori Financial Group, declared the new year a "year of leap forward."

In a New Year address on Thursday, Lim said it would be a year for Woori Financial to go beyond the achievements it has built up so far and to create a new flow in finance, opening a leap forward in earnest.

He stressed that the environment facing the group is not easy. Uncertainty in the domestic and external business environment persists, he said, and it is difficult to gauge the direction of key variables such as exchange rates and interest rates. Lim said new waves of change such as the development of AI technology, entry into an ultra-aged society and institutional and policy changes are strongly demanding fundamental improvements in the financial industry as a whole.

Lim said the group is at an important point where it must faithfully fulfill its promises to customers, shareholders and the market amid a challenging environment and sharp change, while firmly upholding the value and principles of finance. He said Woori Financial should leap forward to become a leading financial group that stays ahead under a clear direction of productive finance, AX and synergy.

Lim said Woori Financial should not settle for familiar ways but must read change one step ahead and constantly consider what better choices are. He said Woori Financial's true competitiveness is a thorough mindset that puts customers first, with trust and honesty as the basics as financial professionals.

He said Woori Financial should become a financial group that is distinctive not only in speed and direction but also in "depth" so that the path it takes can lead a new flow in the financial industry. He said the group should open that path together with strong confidence as one team.