[W Frontier] Bae Sunmin "Not Everyone Can Excel... Focus on Strengths Before Fixing Weaknesses"

2021 Asia Women Leaders Forum 10th Cohort Mentor
'KT's Youngest Executive' Bae Sunmin, Head of AI2XL Research Lab at KT Convergence Technology Institute Interview

"I Enjoy Paving Untrodden Paths" Embracing Challenges
Emphasizing Communication and Collaboration... Self-Praise for Every Small Achievement

Bae Soon-min, head of the AI2XL Research Institute at KT Convergence Technology Institute, is being interviewed on the 12th at the KT Research and Development Headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] "I like digging and paving roads in barren lands." The statement, delivered in a neat and calm voice, was surprising yet also made me nod in agreement. Bae Soon-min, KT's youngest executive and a top-tier artificial intelligence (AI) expert in Korea, is the head of the AI2XL Research Center at KT Convergence Technology Institute (age 41). The path he has walked is the epitome of a "model student" yet has been a continuous series of "new challenges."

Bae began by saying, "If you only want great achievements, you end up exhausted." Even for him, who followed an elite course from science high school to KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), life was "always failing and occasionally succeeding." When I met Bae on the afternoon of the 12th at the KT Umyeon Research Center, he emphasized, "Small achievements and growth are important," adding, "You have to repeatedly achieve small goals and pat yourself on the back, saying 'I've come this far' and 'I did well today.'"

◇Diligence and Perseverance Are Strengths... Need to Practice 'Falling Well'

The small achievements cultivated day by day are what made Bae who he is today. The young girl who once admired space and thought science was the center of the world now stands as a key leader responsible for KT Group's "future food sources." Bae cites "diligence" and "unwavering perseverance" as his greatest strengths.

He sometimes pushed himself hard. When preparing for the science high school entrance exam, he resolved to "solve all the problem books in the world," and notably finished them all within a week. In college, he majored simultaneously in three fields: Computer Science, Management Engineering, and Applied Mathematics. Although the graduation requirement was 130 credits, he took a total of 170 credits. Bae laughed, saying, "Looking back now, I think I just enjoyed learning itself." Since childhood, whether in art or sports, he liked "consistent training" itself.

There was no particular big trigger for Bae becoming one of the few vision AI experts in Korea. Born into a science-oriented family, he vaguely regarded science as an important discipline, learned programming and coding, majored in computer science at KAIST, and studied AI during his overseas studies. After employment, he naturally connected with AI while working in the autonomous driving field. Bae said, "I didn't decide from the start to do AI. I studied the technologies needed at each moment and place, and all those activities intertwined to become one."

Contrary to his calm voice and gentle appearance, what he enjoys most is the challenge in barren lands. Bae said, "I like digging, cultivating fields, and paving roads in barren lands," adding, "For me, achievement is creating organizations and cultures." Leading Samsung Techwin's vision team and establishing an industry-academia cooperation system with KAIST to build an ecosystem, and shaping the initial direction and culture of Naver Clova?all were rewarding achievements for him. He hinted, "Now, the concern is how to highlight KT's strengths in the AI and metaverse era."

People around him often say he is the type who would be happy anywhere. His disposition is positive, and he does not get stressed easily. Bae said, "I don't postpone today's worries until tomorrow." He neither avoids nor gets stuck in problems. This attitude was helped by his childhood experiences enjoying sports like skating, tennis, and swimming, accumulating many experiences of winning and losing. He advised, "What matters more than immediate achievement is what I learn and how I grow in the process," and added, "You need to practice losing well, practice falling well."

Bae Sun-min, head of the AI2XL Research Institute at KT Convergence Technology Institute, is being interviewed on the 12th at the KT Research and Development Headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

◇"Childcare Requires Support from Surroundings"... Drawing the Line on Guilt

Bae also expressed regret that the number of female leaders, especially female technology leaders, remains relatively low in Korean society. He said, "Women are strong in integration, multitasking, and relationships," and "For more female leaders to emerge, collaboration must be encouraged and culture must change to make information transparent." However, at KT Convergence Research Institute where Bae works, 3 out of 6 executives are women?a noticeably high figure compared to large companies in related fields where the number is in single digits.

During an event at MIT, Bae heard female industry leaders say, "My mother took care of the children," and felt, "It's the same in the U.S." As a mother of two children, he said, "You can never raise children alone," emphasizing, "Receiving help from those around you is essential." However, he drew a line on the guilt many female leaders feel toward their children while balancing work and family. Bae said, "I also don't have that guilt because my mother worked. (The absence caused by her working) was not a deficiency or wound for me."

In his work, Bae places the highest importance on communication and collaboration. He especially emphasized that in technical fields, "deep understanding" is necessary. For this, curiosity and perseverance to examine matters from multiple angles and dig deep are essential. To new employees, he advised, "First gain the trust of your colleagues and seniors," highlighting effort and diligence as fundamentals. Bae also pointed out that female employees tend to be relatively weak at boasting about their achievements.

He offered three pieces of advice for those aspiring to be leaders. First, rather than trying to compensate for weaknesses, leverage your strengths. He said, "No one can do everything well," and "It's important to strengthen what you are good at." Second, build good collaborative relationships. Lastly, Bae urged not to be swayed by ups and downs but to praise yourself. He added that perfectionists tend to experience more stress.

Bae himself often finds small achievements daily and praises himself. On the day of the interview, he cited gaining insight from reading the book "No Filter," which tells the story of Instagram's start and success, as an achievement. Then he told himself, "You did really well today."