Due to the incredibly rapid expansion of the economy in the past fifty years, the job market in Korea has become incredibly competitive. There are more and more people going to college while there are limited highly specialized positions that people are going to school for. Korea is known to have one of the most difficult college admittance processes in the world, with the top three schools, Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University, providing vastly different employment opportunities even compared to other top Korean universities. 

In Korea, success is defined as being a hard worker, and being tenured at a prestigious company. Many of the industries in Korea are dominated by massive global brands such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and the SK Group. Working for one of these companies instantly brings respect across any industry. To be seen as a good employee, loyalty is seen as a very important factor. Many employees stay at the same company for decades, because companies reward those who understand the systems that they run on, offering large and widespread benefits to keep employees at the same company. In addition, companies value presence in the office. When looking for promotion or increased responsibility in the office, it is incredibly important to be one of the first ones in the building and one of the last ones out. 

I believe that the United States shares many of these standards. There is a lot of emphasis on getting into a top university and working for a top business in a big city. However, I think the major difference comes down to that in the US, it is more regular to switch jobs. It is very common for people to stay shorter times with a single company and try to switch to a competitor to get a raise, promotion, or better benefits. Another difference is that remote work is much more common in the US. From my experience in Korea, it is very common for people to sit next to each other and work on an issue together face to face, instead of over video calling or sending a message on Teams. I believe that the increased understanding that comes from actually talking to someone is why Korean companies are much more hesitant to allow employees to work remotely. Importantly, in the United States, there is a lot more emphasis on outside experiences such as leadership experiences, involvement in clubs, and previous employment, while in Korea, there is a focus on tangible results such as where you went to school and your GPA. In Korea, many students only focus on grades and academic performance on exams, while in the US, if a student completely neglected internships, fellowships, and other opportunities on campus, their job application would be deemed as incomplete and one dimensional. 

Now, more specifically in the pharmaceutical and health care industries, there is an emphasis on speed. Because there are many companies competing to bring different treatments to market, companies are looking for employees who can innovate and think outside of the box. Being willing to work longer hours and assisting in tasks outside of what you are originally assigned for can make an employee more valuable for a company. Being the first to market greatly impacts reimbursement pathways with insurance, ease of FDA approval, and implementation into hospitals and treatment plans. Because of how the health care system is set up in Korea, there are many differences when compared to American health care companies. There are significantly more regulations on marketing health care products in Korea compared to the US, further stressing the importance of being first to market and the value of innovative employees. The more competitive Korean landscape is most probably what leads to such an emphasis on working overtime and efficiency in the office.

During my internship, I believe that I have redefined how I think of success in the workplace. At first I thought that being successful meant having an impressive title at an industry leading company. But, as I spent more time working, I believe that to me being successful is more about challenging myself to understand and grow from the opportunities that I am given. Being an intern has given me the opportunity to learn so much from others, given me room to make mistakes, and see what it means to add value to a company. I hope that in the future I continue to be successful in challenging myself, and I can continue to learn through unique experiences such as this internship.