[Women’s Forum 10th Anniversary] Jeong Heeseon: "Break the Prejudice of Weak Networks... Value Meetings, Reach Out First"

Jeong Hee-seon, President of the Korean Federation of Women in Science, is giving a special lecture at the "2021 Asia Women Leaders Forum" hosted by Asia Economy on the 27th at Lotte Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Women leaders are sometimes criticized for having weak networks. However, this can be sufficiently overcome. Cherish and value meetings with others as 'heart to heart.' And reach out first.

At the '2021 Asia Women Leaders Forum,' Jeong Hee-seon, President of the Korean Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations, gave a special lecture on the 27th, stating, "Networking changed me," and emphasized, "Do not hesitate to build international networks just because you are a woman."

President Jeong served as the 11th Director of the National Forensic Service and the inaugural Director of the National Forensic Service Institute. She is an expert in the field of narcotics and served as the 13th President of the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists. She was also the first Asian woman to serve as President of the International Academy of Legal Medicine. Currently, she is the President of the Korean Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations and a distinguished professor in the Department of Forensic Science at Sungkyunkwan University.

Until reaching the top of her field, President Jeong revealed that networking was a great strength alongside academic efforts. She shared anecdotes such as the First Secretary of the British Embassy who interviewed her later becoming the British Ambassador to Korea and meeting again, and Professor Sunshine, whom she met in the U.S., attending a conference she organized at the age of 90. President Jeong said, "Meetings with people start small at first, but people want to work with those they know and trust," emphasizing, "80% of business comes from relationships." She added, "When you help someone, you can develop your own field and it can also benefit yourself," saying, "It comes back to me."

Jeong Hee-seon, President of the Korean Federation of Women in Science, is giving a special lecture at the "2021 Asia Women Leaders Forum" hosted by Asia Economy on the 27th at Lotte Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

President Jeong mentioned that having a personal mentor who serves as a role model in life is essential. Her mentor is the British mystery novelist Agatha Christie. According to President Jeong, Christie wrote 80 detective novels and killed over 300 characters, with about 30 types of narcotic poisons used to kill over 100 characters in her books. She said, "As a specialist in narcotic poisons, I find the descriptions of symptoms in Christie’s works very detailed," adding, "She once said, ‘If I had a good poison, I could create the perfect crime,’ which was a great inspiration to me."

At the forum, President Jeong introduced common traits of 100 successful entrepreneurs worldwide. The biggest among them was a personality that enjoys meeting and socializing with people. She also advised to contact people within 24 hours after meeting for a strong and professional network, maintain SNS, and schedule the next appointment. She emphasized taking notes about the people you meet and knowing when to end relationships. To maintain effective relationships, sincerity is essential, and she stressed, "Mentees should contact their mentors first to network."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.