[W Frontier] "Be Kind to Yourself for Happiness, Let Go of the Wonder Woman Illusion"

Interview with Jin Eunseon, Head of Design Center at Lotte Chilsung Beverage
Initially reluctant to go to Korea despite a friend's recommendation
Came thinking 2-3 years, ended up staying 25 years
Happiness at work leads to successful outcomes
My role is to support juniors by being there alongside them

Jin Eun-seon, Executive Director of Lotte Chilsung Beverage, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 13th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Lotte Chilsung Beverage has won an international design award in the beverage packaging category for the first time since its establishment in 2018. This was for Korea's representative carbonated brand "Chilsung Cider," which has been loved by consumers for 67 years since its launch in 1950. The vintage package design, which expresses the iconic "green" color of cider and the product name "Chilsung (七星)" in various ways according to the era, stimulated the "sensibility" of people worldwide. The following year, Lotte Chilsung Beverage was also selected as a winner in the packaging design category of the German "Red Dot Design Award" for the products "Yorala Yogurt-flavored Sparkling" and "Del Monte Juice Small Bottle." This was an achievement just one year after establishing the Design Center. We met with Jin Eun-seon (50), the head of the Design Center who leads it.

"Are you enjoying your work now? Then don't look back."

Director Jin was born in Korea but grew up in the United States for 25 years. Since her life base was in the U.S., she naturally thought she would build her career and work there. That was until a friend suggested she "try working in Korea." At first, she was reluctant when encouraged to go to Korea. Honestly, English was more comfortable than Korean, and she was afraid to give up a stable life. However, "Korea" never left her mind. She decided to experience Korean corporate culture for 2 to 3 years and boarded a plane to Korea in 1995.

Contrary to her initial thought of just gaining "experience" and returning, she has spent half of her life in Korea. Although gender discrimination was less severe than in other fields due to the female-dominated nature of the design industry, Jin, who grew up in the U.S., found it difficult to adapt to the conservative corporate culture. She constantly pondered over "racial" discrimination and found her own solutions but had not deeply considered "gender" discrimination. She experienced several frustrations while learning how to work in conservative Korean companies and understanding the organization. However, she did not get tired or rush. Thanks to her calm personality, she rarely got excited. She walked steadily in her own style without being swayed by her surroundings.

It was possible because she enjoyed "working." Director Jin said, "I felt the most rewarding when consumers liked the results that I led in planning, designing, and producing product containers and label designs," adding, "Design work was fun, and as positive results came out, the looks from those around me changed." She continuously emphasized "happiness." She explained, "It is important to enjoy your work, and when the working time is happy, the results come out successfully."

Leadership in Communication: 'Listening and Waiting'

Before establishing the Design Center, Lotte Chilsung Beverage did not directly design packaging. Although there was a design team, they outsourced design work to external companies and only managed and supervised the designers. After establishing the Design Center, Lotte Chilsung Beverage created an environment where they could directly handle packaging design. Director Jin was entrusted with the Design Center. The first thing she did as the head was to communicate with the members. Sudden "creative work" was not easy for members who had only done management tasks. She continuously talked and waited.

Director Jin said, "I try to look into the inner side of the members," adding, "It is important to think about the essence of the work together, share opinions, and watch over juniors until they can produce results." She continued, "If you don't give up and endure, you can see juniors grow at some point," and added, "It's okay to come slowly. My role is to wait beside them." When asked, "What if they don't produce results even after waiting?" she smiled brightly and said, "Then find the role they can do."

"Don't try to be Wonder Woman"

Balancing childcare and work was not easy for Director Jin either. At that time, maternity leave was two months. After returning to work in two months, she cried many times until her child graduated from elementary school. Director Jin said, "I hope people give up the Wonder Woman illusion," mentioning, "The world demands Wonder Woman, but eventually, energy runs out." She emphasized, "You have to be kind to yourself to be happy," and advised, "If you are struggling, don't worry alone; share your heart with family and friends and take some time for yourself." To working moms struggling with childcare issues, Director Jin also advised to give up the idea that parents must do everything for their children.

Director Jin said, "It is also important to step back so that the child can act independently," and judged, "Parents should play the role of supporters so that children can do what they want." She also expressed regret about "Korea's educational environment" while raising her child. Students study aiming for "which" school rather than what they want to do. She said, "It is heartbreaking to see children choose universities and majors based on grades," and was confident that "an environment where children can sufficiently think about their future, make choices, and pursue long-term goals must be created for children to be happy."

Mentor of Director Jin Eun-seon

Jin Eun-seon, head of Lotte Chilsung Beverage Design Center, met her "life mentor," Professor Lee Kyung-sun of the Department of Design at National Hankyong University (photo), during her studies at Parsons The New School for Design, a private art college in New York, USA, in 1989. At that time, Professor Lee had left behind her major in business administration in Korea and started studying abroad here to newly challenge the "design industry." The two met at school and have maintained a relationship for over 30 years. Professor Lee encouraged Director Jin to transfer to a Korean company.

Professor Lee persuaded her, saying, "You will work for the next 20 or 30 years, so it's okay to have a different experience for a while," and "This experience will definitely help you later." Director Jin followed Professor Lee to Korea and has been fulfilling her role as a female executive in a large corporation. Director Jin said, "The advice Professor Lee gave me then became a great nourishment for my work." She still consults Professor Lee when making important decisions. She said, "There are times when I want to leave the company, but one or two years right now do not hold great meaning in life," and advised, "You can rest and then walk again, so don't stop halfway."

Director Jin introduced Professor Lee as "a person full of energy." She constantly challenges herself, studies, and works for the light of the world. Professor Lee is focusing on nurturing "creative designers" who will independently lead the industry at Hankyong University. She analyzes that the reason Korean designers work for less than five years on average is because education focuses only on design. Due to a lack of understanding of management or business, designers remain dependent, only doing what is requested. Therefore, Professor Lee is nurturing designers to be subjects who find opportunities in the market and can distribute and sell their work. She also conducts design value-creation education that contributes to making a better world through design that raises awareness of socially vulnerable groups.

Director Jin emphasized, "To enhance the competitiveness of the Design Center, nurturing junior designers is important," and added, "I will continuously build trust so that I can remain a senior whom juniors want to seek advice from when they take on new challenges."

[Profile of Jin Eun-seon, Head of Lotte Chilsung Beverage Design Center]

▲1993 AMKO Advertising Inc. ▲1995 Designer at Production Headquarters, Cheil Worldwide ▲2002 Designer at YeoBaek Communication ▲2008 Team Leader of Design Team, Sempio Foods ▲2014 Manager of Design Division 1, Lotte Chilsung Beverage ▲2017 Head of Design Center, Lotte Chilsung Beverage