A unique outlook on life and single-minded determination are the ingredients that have led Hann Philippines Inc Chairman and CEO Daesik Han to where he is today.
Even in his formative years, Daesik Han – the charismatic Chairman and CEO of Clark casino operator Hann Philippines Inc – recalls being stubbornly single-minded when pursuing his goals.
“When I was in grade 10 I was in love with basketball, but in winter in my hometown the wind chill would be down to minus-20 degrees, so it was very, very cold,” the Korean- native Han recalls. “Even then, I used to wake up at 5:30 am and go to the sports field at my high school and practice basketball. I had cracks all over my hands because of the cold, and my Mum and my friends would say to me ‘Stop doing this, you’re crazy!’
“But when I decide to do something that I like I am really focused on it. Whenever I feel that there is something I want to do well, I am fully into it. That makes me a little bit different from the people around me.”
Fast forward many years, and this focus has borne rare fruit. From humble beginnings in the Korean town of Jecheon – located about halfway between Seoul and Busan – Han now oversees the US$600 million Hann Casino Resort that is setting new standards of luxury among Clark’s burgeoning casino industry. He is also in the process of doubling that investment via nearby Hann Reserve, an ambitious 450-hectare development in New Clark City that, when complete, will feature PGA-affiliated player development facilities alongside three 18-hole championship golf courses, an array of luxury hotels and resorts plus clubhouses, a mixed-use commercial center, premium villas and residences, and a 10-hectare public park. He broke ground on that development only last month.
Reminiscing on his accomplishments since first recognizing the opportunities Clark presented during a 2005 holiday, Han says the foundations for his business career were forged during a mandatory stint in the Korean military (by law, all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 35 must serve at least 18 months of service).
“I remember being on night watch and my superiors asking me what I wanted to do in the future,” he recalls.
“I knew I was in a pretty lucky position because even though my family had been very poor when I was young, my father was able to set up his own [construction] business which had become very successful. By the time I was in the army the family business was well established and we were one of the recognized families in my hometown, so while my friends had to think about what they were going to do after the army, I didn’t have much to worry about.
“My father (Soo Won Han) had always planned for me to eventually run the company, but I also realized I had never done anything in my life to prove myself. After that day, I decided I needed to do something about it.”
In a move that would eventually lead him to Clark, Han bought himself a Korean-English language textbook and spent the next 12 months of military duty sneaking into the rest rooms at 3am each morning to study.
“Again, my comrades would say ‘Are you crazy? Why are you doing this thing?’ But like I said, when I set a goal I really try to dig in, to do my best, and because I wanted to prove myself.”
By the time his military service was over, Han was more determined than ever to forge his own path and soon left the family business behind to study Business Administration in the United States at Western Michigan University, but he shunned the 12 months of English courses most Korean students favored and dove straight into undergraduate study. Instead, to sharpen his language skills, he would hang around the campus cafeteria and start conversations with strangers.
“I would just see someone and say, ‘Hey, can I talk to you for a while?” he laughs.
Han eventually returned home after three years in the US when his mother, Kil Sun Kim, suffered a stroke, but his determination to succeed hadn’t waned. And it was his 2005 trip to Clark that ultimately cemented his fate.
“My first few trips to Clark were as a tourist,” he explains. “I would drive around and walk around – I’d heard about Clark airport – and I tried to analyze whether this was the right place for me to look at this business opportunity.
“There were a few reasons why it felt right to me. One was distance – travelling from Korea to the Philippines is one of the shortest trips in Southeast Asia, and while Korea has four seasons the Philippines is seen [by Koreans] as very exotic.
“I also knew that, because Clark is a Special Economic Zone, there was only one entity I needed to negotiate with. Outside of Clark I would need to talk to several government entities, which is quite difficult.
“But the main one was that I had an edge over everyone else because I’m a Korean who speaks English. I was raised in the ultra-competitive environment of Korea, which gave me an edge over Filipino businessmen who are raised in a different way, and I spoke English as opposed to other Koreans. So by combining my Korean competitiveness and blending it with the business culture here, I knew I was going to be something different.”
It was on this basis that Han established his first hotel, which opened as Widus in 2008, then obtained a casino license that saw him install a modest 24 gaming tables and 150 slot machines in 2009.
He later expanded this to 67 tables and 370 slots before embarking on the far more significant expansion and rebranding to Hann Casino Resort. Opened in December 2021, the fancy new property boasts 154 tables and 868 machines plus the 260-room Clark Marriott, specialty dining options, retail outlets, a swimming pool, an executive lounge and event venues such as a ballroom and function rooms.
Still, Han isn’t satisfied.
“One of the reasons I decided to invest in Clark was because of [the opportunity to own a casino] license, and at that time I was dreaming about how nice it might be to have maybe 30 or 40 tables and 200 slot machines and one nice hotel with 200 room keys,” he explains.
“But seeing the huge potential for the Clark area, I knew that it would attract a lot of potential local and foreign investors. This inspired me to innovate further and never stop bringing something new.
“After I opened the Marriott hotel here and was planning for this Swissôtel, my dad said ‘You’re doing pretty well there, why do you want to take this further risk? Why don’t you just sit back and relax and try to enjoy yourself?’
“But I still strongly believe in the future of Clark, and to make myself stronger, to compete with these major players, I had to push myself. I had to take the risk and I had to expand. Now I’m enjoying first mover’s advantage with something that I can truly call an integrated resort, so the next step is to create something that is the best in the Philippines and can really compete with Macau. That’s why I started to conceptualize this Hann Reserve project.”
All of which begs the question: will Han ever stop dreaming bigger?
“I think it is going to be pretty difficult because that’s the way I was born,” he smiles. “If I don’t do anything I will get bored and that will kill me, so no, I don’t think so.
“I remember one day I was sitting at Marriott drinking with friends and I looked outside and saw Swissôtel and the swimming pool done, and I thought ‘Yeah, that’s kind of nice’.
“I appreciate it, I appreciate what I have, but I’m more future-oriented. I’m willing to sacrifice whatever I need to right now to improve my future. That’s just the way I was raised and that’s my perspective.”
