Two woman leaders talk about leadership

The career and Development Center of Ewha held special lectures on woman and global leadership this May, featuring two renowned guest speakers. Kim Kyung-joo, a professor at Tokai University and an anchor for Asahi Newstar (a specialized News channel in ), held her lecture on May 13 under the title of “Do in Rome as Romans Do Not,” which focused on global leadership. Kim Kyoung-ran, a graduate of Seoul National University and currently a Justice at the Supreme Court of Korea,  spoke on May 20 under the title of “Now, Empowerment is the Issue, which focused on women’s leadership.

Kim Kyung-joo

Kim Kyung-joo was recruited as an anchor after participating in a debate program aired on Japanese TV on the controversy over Dokdo Island , where she stood on the side of the Koreans. “I live in not to succeed in Japanese society, but to correct the biased views of the Japanese toward Koreans. I thought the best way to achieve that goal was to first receive official acknowledgement from the society and that was why I accepted the offer of being an anchor at Asahi,” said Kim.

According to Kim, she sometimes receives criticism from some Japanese people who are anti-Korean. “A lot of people insist on following the Roman rules when they go to Rome , but I think setting your own agenda is more important. Likewise, it is crucial for university students to set an agenda for their life first and then decide which career to pursue,” said Kim.

As a renowned leader in the global arena, Kim gave several words of advice for university students on how to spend their college years. “First, set personal goals like changing the negative views toward Koreans or bringing innovation to the Korean education system,” said Kim. In order to do this, Kim says, it is important to have a flexible mind that does not limit your possibilities, and important to know that there are tons of challenges s for students to take advantage of.

Also, Kim suggests that students set specific short and long term plans for life. The long term plans are the final agenda for life, but the short-term ones are for the upcoming two or three years. “I revise my short term goals every two or three years. I have to check my plans so that I do not lose direction. Also setting a time limit relieves me, because specific deadlines show me that my goals can be reached in the near future,” said Kim.

Kim Young-Ran

Empowerment is the process of giving power and status to a person or a group of people in a particular situation, and Kim Young-Ran stresses those current levels of empowerment between genders are not balanced. “The gender related Human Development Index of Korea is quite high, 25th out of 140 countries. However, ranks 64th out of 93 countries in the Gender Empowerment Measure, which is relatively low. As the role of women is increasing in Korean society, I think it is important that the society balance the level of power between the two genders,” said Kim.

Kim explains that the balance will not be achieved unless women make efforts to acquire status. “The increased number of women working in society won’t automatically assure improved rights. What the society needs is women leaders, women in highly respected positions. And these leaders need to work on assuring empowerment for future female generations,” said Kim.

Kim points out that a problem embedded in the social structure and atmosphere of Korean society is the lack of women’s empowerment. “A lot of smart female students are studying for fields that are ranked by examination scores, like the field of law, but I wish they could spread out to various fields of society. They will gain empowerment as they go forth and time passes. Also, people like me will assist them and assure them of their potential,” said Kim.

To be a female leader, Kim suggests that one should have firm faith and self-respect in oneself. The ability to gain consent and empathy from others for what one believes in is also a crucial part of leadership.

caption: Kim Kyung-joo emphasizes the importance of setting agendas to become a global leader

caption: Kim Young-ran says women should spread out to various fields of society