Place of residence: Seoul, South Korea

Position: CEO of IT Agency Studio Dotori and Director at Korea Women’s Hotline

Please describe a day in your life

I usually wake up around 7AM to make breakfast for my child, and once they head to school, then my day begins. My main job involves producing digital projects for non-profit organisations, so I spend most of my time programming and attending related meetings. In the afternoon, I prepare a small snack for my child before heading to my university.

I am studying digital forensics at the Department of Forensics at Sungkyunkwan University. Although it’s quite different from software development, I felt the need for a female IT expert in digital forensics, especially while working at an organisation for women.

For example, we support victims of sexual exploitation who may need videos as evidence but worry about storing them on their devices. Some delete the videos and later seek experts to restore the data for reporting. Many prefer female forensic analysts to avoid the discomfort of sharing such sensitive material with men.

Understanding this need, I enrolled in a digital forensics postgraduate course last year. Alongside my lab colleagues, I co-authored a thesis on the forensics of AI-powered chatbots.

How many projects are you currently working on? Please describe them.

I am currently working on three main projects: one research project as a postgraduate student and two development projects for Studio Dotori.

At Studio Dotori, I am mapping transfer routes for vulnerable users, such as those using wheelchairs or strollers, for the non-profit organisation Muui. Muui’s activists have created a big data set of optimal routes by visiting metro stations, and my role is to design a user-friendly map to help people navigate this information. I am also working on Dotori Security, a service designed for non-profits and social ventures with limited budgets to protect privacy.

For my postgraduate research, I am focused on helping female victims of violence escape dangerous situations. As part of the Korea Women’s Hotline, which supports survivors of sexual violence, stalking, and domestic abuse, I am developing technologies linked to digital forensics to assist them.

In your opinion, who is the most influential person or company in technology today, and if you could choose one app, product, or project to have been involved in, which would it be and why?

I am generally more interested in smaller technologies with specific purposes rather than broad AI-powered services. Have you heard of the Whoop smartwatch? It focuses on minimal features and design to prioritise users’ health and wellness. While my background is in software technology, I am also keen on hardware-related fields like digital forensics. My goal is to create a wearable device that supports victims or aids in crime prevention, with a strong focus on user security.

How do you see technology evolving in the next ten years?

I was recently surprised by an emerging technology: a navigation service that leverages the Earth’s magnetic field. Unlike GPS, which struggles with detecting altitude and precise indoor locations due to its reliance on satellites, this service offers much-improved accuracy by using the magnetic field, helping users reach their destinations more efficiently.

I hope to see more products with sharper, more specific objectives over the next 10 years, available at an affordable price for those in need.

What is the most challenging thing you had to deal with during your career?

I have focused on studying various technologies based on the needs at the time. In the tech sector, my career path may appear eclectic, but I am confident that I am highly skilled when it comes to realising a specific goal. I excel at identifying the needs of organisations working towards a better society and offering tailored services to meet those needs.

It took me a while to realise that my career choices were connected to a particular purpose. Sometimes, I doubted myself, but now I understand the reasons behind my decisions. My choices were driven not by market values but by my personal beliefs. While some in the sector may have looked down on me for this, those experiences have helped me establish my unique identity.

What is your next goal?

My goal is to complete the development of two crucial technologies: Dotori Security and technology to support victims. Both are essential in today’s world, yet they don’t yet exist, so I am determined to create them.

If you could speak to your younger self, what advice would you give, and how does it relate to the dreams you had as a child about creating, inventing, or doing something special?

I faced many challenges growing up as a teenager. To escape the difficulties of the real world, I immersed myself in games and comics. I taught myself how to code and build a website to connect with others online. If I could speak to my younger self, I would say: “All the efforts you made to cope with your loneliness have shaped who I am today. Thanks to those efforts, I’ve found friends, colleagues, and a sense of purpose. Now that you’re studying to help not just yourself but others as well, don’t worry about the future — take care of yourself in the present.”

Which famous person would you like to have dinner with and why?

Professor Choi Ye-jin, an AI researcher and computer science and engineering lecturer at the University of Washington, caught my attention after I attended one of her lectures and read her previous works. I find her approach to AI very intriguing.

Where would you like to travel next?

I visited Taiwan once for business and would love to return for a holiday. It’s a fascinating place, known for its digital democracy and the birth of the g0v network. Recently, Taiwan hosted an intriguing project, a long-term hackathon where experts from across the IT sector came together to create products for a better society. When my child is old enough, I’d love to fly over and take part in something like that as well.

What advice do you give to young girls who want to follow similar careers?

Honestly, I don’t fully understand the career path I’ve taken. I simply followed my intuition and ended up working with the technologies I do today. I may have had a role model, but ultimately, I followed my own guiding star. I want everyone to live safely and happily, and I hope my technologies can contribute to creating such a society. We all have dreams we want to realise – so follow that belief. Don’t be swayed by others’ opinions or compare yourself to them. In the end, your life is your own.