Leading The Way For Inventive Women In Korea And Beyond
July 29, 2016
On the occasion of the Korea International Women Inventors Exposition (KIWIE) in June 2016, Ms. EunKyung Cho and the board members of the Korea Women Inventors Association celebrated the achievements of KIWIE, together with participants from 25 countries. We took the opportunity to talk with Ms. Cho and find out more about the Association and her views on women in intellectual property (IP).
In addition to her day job, Ms. Cho serves as the president of Korea Women Inventors Association – an organization that has focused on empowering women inventors and promoting their participation in creative business activities since 1993. The Association’s board members are mostly inventors and business owners active in fields ranging from solar energy to TV broadcasting.
Inventing from the heart
As an inventor herself, Ms. Cho knows all too well the opportunities and challenges associated with being a woman in this field. Not only does she head a successful biotechnology company, but she used to file on average ten patents a year, giving her a unique viewpoint on women in IP.
Asked about challenges faced by women inventors and entrepreneurs in Korea, Ms. Cho cited the continuous efforts to engage with policy makers and businesses. Thanks to these efforts, she said, attitudes are changing for the better.
Women inventors have the advantage, Ms. Cho explained, as they tend to put their hearts into their inventions and use empathy to understand others’ challenges. In her opinion, because of this advantage, women inventors are able to connect with customers and consumers in the marketplace and change the environment.
Supporting women inventors
The Korean Women Inventors Association uses its accumulated experiences – from work with start-ups to research and development – to support other women inventors and entrepreneurs, helping them to utilize the intellectual property system. Its mission is to "speak, work, and act for women inventors."
Each year the Association organizes KIWIE, an exposition for women’s inventions on a global scale, hosted by the Korea Intellectual Property Office. Since the first exposition in 2008, the event has welcomed over 500 women inventors and owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises to:
- share information and experience,
- learn about new technological trends, and
- promote their current innovations.
The Association also provides KIWIE participants with the opportunities to participate in academic conferences and educational programs. In conjunction with KIWIE, WIPO supports the Korea International Women’s Invention Forum and the International Workshop for Women Inventors “IP Wave for Creative Women Leaders” in order to further enhance international networks and to provide training programs on the effective use of the IP system.
