Korean IT firms weak on follow-through

“Korean companies in the information technology industry make many new attempts, but they don’t have the force to carry projects through to the end,” said Lee Ji-eun, a partner in Accenture, one of the largest consulting firms in the world. Ms. Lee was recently promoted to the position, becoming the first woman and youngest member in the Seoul office to become a global partner at the age of 36. “A partner in a consulting firm is similar to one in an accounting or law firm,” Ms. Lee said in an interview with the JoongAng Daily. “I get to participate in management and also own shares.” Ms. Lee originally wanted to be a teacher when she attended Seoul National University. At a student teacher training program in her senior year, however, she discovered that the profession was not her forte. “I couldn’t stand the children talking during class and I didn’t want to use corporal punishment,” she said. Since joining Accenture in 1991, she has mostly done consulting in the information technology sector. “When I go abroad, I can feel that people are acknowledging Korea more, especially in the mobile phone industry,” she said. “The problem, however, is that Korean companies are highly motivated for new businesses, but their action does not match their enthusiasm, especially in long-term projects.” As the mother of two young children, Ms. Lee said that she devotes her weekdays to work and weekends to her family, but emphasized that the government should make more efforts to solve problems for working women. “It is difficult to be a professional and take care of a family, but by becoming a global partner I hope [to encourage] my juniors not to give up their dreams,” she said. Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting, has 100,000 consultants worldwide, with 320 in the Seoul office. by Wohn Dong-hee