Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee publicly announced plans to hold a luncheon with 10 Samsung employees, accepting applications until July 13.

According to Samsung Group, Lee arranged the event for the first time to strengthen communication channels with its employees as this year marks his 25th year since being seated as chairman of the country’s top conglomerate.

Any employee of Samsung’s affiliates could apply for the luncheon by sending in a one-page essay on what he or she expects to discuss with the chairman, said a Samsung official.

The announcement posted on the conglomerate’s intranet also said the 10 people will be chosen on the person’s sincerity and uniqueness. Although the date and location have not been specified, the list of the chosen workers will be unveiled later in August, the official said.

Hundreds of replies were made on the posting soon after the announcement was released, with many showing excitement about the organized luncheon.

“It’s good to see the chairman’s effort to get closer to company workers on top of his on-site business management skills,” said one of the replies.

An open recruitment for a luncheon with Lee is the first, but he has taken part in lunch meetings with different groups of Samsung employees in the past.

Most recently in April, he had lunch with nine promoted female employees. Lee also organized a similar event with regional and marketing experts in Samsung.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)