Yu Minhong of New Oriental apologizes for controversy over urging employees to strive while traveling in Antarctica

According to reports from domestic media, Yu Minhong, the founder of New Oriental EDU & Tech (09901.HK), recently posted a video of his trip to Antarctica on social media and sent an internal letter to employees on the occasion of the company's 32nd anniversary, using descriptions and metaphors related to Antarctica to encourage employees to strive, which has caused dissatisfaction among some employees. Some employees complained, "The boss is in Antarctica, it's hard to work; the boss is watching penguins, and we are working overtime," and described the use of red font in the letter as "the boss traveling with employees' hard-earned money."

Reports cited sources indicating that Yu Minhong later sent an apology letter to employees, explaining that he was in Antarctica when he wrote the letter, and his intention was to sincerely share his views and situation with everyone. He also described the color red as representing celebration and festivity, with no other meaning intended; he emphasized that while employees are working hard, the bosses are also working tirelessly and taking on greater risks to ensure the normal development of the company and provide job security.

According to the content of the first letter, on the day of the company's 32nd anniversary, Yu Minhong sent a letter to all employees from Antarctica, using the survival philosophy of penguins huddling together for warmth to inspire employees who are navigating through the industry's winter. However, this move has triggered dissatisfaction among some employees, who expressed that they could not empathize with a boss who is traveling.

Some media cited data from travel agency customer service and travel platforms, indicating that the cruise Yu Minhong took departed from Paris, with an individual cost of about 300,000 yuan (the same below); additionally, the cruise's 29-day, 28-night itinerary from "Hobart - Antarctica - Kerguelen Islands - Cape Town" currently only offers luxury suite options, with a price of about 1.48 million yuan per person.

Yu Minhong later clarified that there are different ships and cabin types for trips to Antarctica, with prices ranging from 50,000 to 300,000 yuan. The ship he took, the Shagu, is a relatively advanced icebreaker, with a 12-day price ranging from 200,000 to 250,000 yuan (including different cabin types), and not the 1.48 million yuan as suggested by outsiders