Picturing growth and collaboration in LG Sciencepark

Meet Specialist Lee Ga-young of LG Chem Life Sciences Division and Specialist Kim Kyung-hwan of LG Electronics Production Technology Center. The two were quite alike in their gentle smiles and their low and calm voices when they told their stories but also how they took pride in their work and being members of LG Sciencepark.

My work and my dreams in medicine development and 3D printing

Q. Hello, could you please introduce yourself to us?

Specialist Lee Ga-young: I am Specialist Lee Ga-young and I am in charge of regulatory affairs for subfertility treatment drugs at Clinical Development Center of Life Sciences Division, LG Chem. RA takes care of registration of medicine according to the requirements of regulatory authorities in each country and continuous license management after the drugs are introduced in the market.

When you say medicine licensing, most people think about the licensing process before the final registration of medicinal products. However, the medicine development process requires a high investment of money and personnel, so it is crucial to check beforehand regulations that may be overlooked in the development process, if you want to save time and cost.

To this end, the RA personnel get involved in the entire process from initial development to final registration of products. Because applicable licensing regulations differ slightly depending on the medicine categories such as bio and synthetic medicines, our Clinical Development Center assigns personnel for each product to conduct specialized study and application of regulations.

Specialist Kim Gyung-hwan: I am Specialist Kim Gyung-hwan, and I work at 3D Printing Task Team of Production Technology Center in LG Electronics. I joined the company in December 2014, so it’s already been seven years. I am currently in charge of projects to support and collaborate with many LG subsidiaries and other companies through the 3D printing technology. Simply put, the purpose of 3D printing task is to increase understanding and final quality of products by producing full-size product models in the initial stages of product development.

Q. What made you decide to join LG?

Kim Gyung-hwan: I am very much interested in the series of processes where technologies and products are applied to our actual lives to make the life easier and more convenient. Also, I love the feeling of reward when I get to experience such a process first-hand. To have this kind of rewarding job in an electronics company has been my dream from a long time ago. Now, my job is to design things and materialize them through 3D printing with the aim to make people’s lives more convenient. And it means a lot to me.

Lee Ga-young: I majored in the field of bio, and my goal was to work in the medicine industry. While searching for different companies and jobs, I found LG Chem and found out about how the company was showing potential for continuous growth through active investments in R&D. Moreover, when I first came to LG Sciencepark for my job interview, I was drawn to its large scale, beautiful facilities and the overall atmosphere that felt sophisticated. That’s when I decided that I wanted to work here.

Q. What was your impression of LG before you joined the company, and how has it changed over the years?

Lee Ga-young: Since LG Chem has a long history, I was a little worried that the corporate culture might be rather conservative and hierarchical. However, as I experienced the work life here, I was surprised to see the flat structure where everyone has respect for one another. I especially liked the fact that anyone could freely express his or her opinions. Also, another big advantage is that we can take part in big projects regardless of the job position or level of experience, which are great opportunities for faster growth.

Kim Gyung-hwan: All my senior friends who had joined LG before I did were really nice people. When I joined LG, I found that most of those who work here are also very kind, diligent and enthusiastic. I think this kind of image is conveyed to the customers as well. I would have to say that having this kind of image myself has worked to my advantage even when meeting people outside the company.

Q. What were your most memorable moments working for the company?

Lee Ga-young: Life Sciences Division holds an event called TACC at the end of each year. It is where we share and congratulate our outcomes of the year. At the same time, we also share the collective goals and outcomes of the division in this event. The development cycle of a medicinal product is quite long, so it may take a long time for us to see the final results of an individual project. That makes it more special that we share the outcomes and project status among the entire business division. This event is a very meaningful occasion where we can understand the goals of the entire division and share the outcomes. I learn a lot and also draw motivation from this event.

Kim Gyung-hwan: My most memorable moment is when I got to hold with my hands for the first time an actual product that I had designed. It was only a small product, a cosmetics container cap, but the moment stuck in my memory, and I still keep it in my desk drawer like a treasure. A more recent memory is when I was part of the production support for development of electronic mask products released by LG Electronics. I had a lot of fun working on these products because they were released overseas first and many people were curious about them.

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Lee Ga-young: The recent COVID situation has highlighted the importance of medicinal products around the world. In particular, I also think that people’s interest in regulatory affairs has grown as they are more aware of the licensing process to make sure safe and efficacious drugs are promptly delivered to patients. I want to continue to grow in this field and five years from now become someone who can more positively influence lives and health of many people.

Kim Gyung-hwan: My goal is to develop a product that provides high value that customers truly want and come out on TV news for this! (laughter) Also, I can picture myself working as a head of part or team in five years. However, I look forward more to developing high value products and technologies rather than attaining a high position in the organization.

Let’s work together in LG Sciencepark! Tips for potential employees on getting the job

Q. What do you think is the most essential ability to have for your job?

Lee Ga-young: RA gets involved in the entire life cycle of a medicinal product from initial development to follow-up management after market release. You need to have the basic scientific knowledge in the relevant fields and majors as your basis and also be able to see the trees as well as the forest when faced with a problem. Also, even with the same materials, the result can be different depending on the logic with which you present them to the regulatory authorities, so you need to have a good communication skill as well. Another thing you need is to continuously study so that you can flexibly respond to the developing technologies and regulatory science. If you have a strong passion and will, I think this job could be very attractive and worth giving a shot.

Kim Gyung-hwan: 3D printing involves presenting a full-scale design of a product in its early development stage, so you need to have the basic design skills to be able to make an attempt at various fields. Majoring in mechanical engineering helped me in designing products and discovering new production technology processes. I also think you need to have the ability to lead tasks and projects so you can cope with problems without being disconcerted.

Q. Do you have any tips for potential employees on landing the job?

Lee Ga-young: I used to get really nervous in job interviews and presentations, so I practiced really hard from the moment when the interview schedule was set. I put some puppet dolls in front of me and practiced speaking like it was a real interview and video-recorded myself, and I repeated that for a few days. That helped me to keep my composure during the entire interview and finish successfully. The experience of overcoming fear through practice and the lessons that I learned in the process have been helping me in making presentations even up to now.

Kim Gyung-hwan: I think it’s a good thing to express your honest thoughts as long as it does not cross the line. I think presenting my thoughts frankly in my job interview worked to my advantage. After I passed, I had a chance to meet the interviewer, and he told me that my frank and forthright answers worked positively in terms of overall credibility.

Healthy and happy workplace, LG Sciencepark

Q. What are the good things that you get to experience while working in LG Sciencepark?

Lee Ga-young: It’s so great that there are a lot of walking paths near the workplace where I can refresh my mind. I often go out to the walking paths inside LG Sciencepark or to Seoul Botanic Park across the street during lunchtime. Taking in the four seasons with your entire body while walking is a great way to relieve the stress from work and become healthier. Especially, I organize my thoughts while looking at the landscape reflected on the lake in Seoul Botanic Park, and once I do that, I can concentrate so much better on my work.

Kim Gyung-hwan: LG Sciencepark has the optimal environment for making synergy in research. In the case of our 3D printing tasks, it is necessary to present our technologies to people from other teams while doing collaborative assignments with them. So, working with technology developers is very important, and it helps greatly with my work to be with them so closely and have so many opportunities to discuss things face-to-face.
Also, in Magok, there are laboratories from other companies than LG subsidiaries. The R&D industrial complex is increasingly accommodating a wider range of fields, and I think this is advantageous for my work since it involves supporting the entire LG subsidiaries and drawing cooperation with new companies.

Q. What is your most favorite place in LG Sciencepark?

Lee Ga-young: The cafeteria. The foods have recently got much tastier overall, and they have so many menu items including the trendiest ones, so I look forward to lunchtime every day. Also, because of COVID, I don’t eat out as much and it’s harder to have a well-balanced meal even at home, so it’s great that I can eat properly at the cafeteria.

Kim Gyung-hwan: The Convergence Road between the ISC and SLC buildings. They have done a great job with landscaping there, so it feels like walking in a park. I especially like to watch the cute children running around and playing near Daycare Center because it energizes me. I have a four-year-old nephew, and watching little children puts smile on my face.

Q. How would you describe LG Sciencepark in one word or sentence?

Lee Ga-young: “A place optimized for companies and individuals to grow most efficiently.” The biggest feature of LG Sciencepark is that it houses research organizations from various subsidiaries, and this is very meaningful not only to the companies but also to the employees working here. The more I work here, the more often I get the impression that a lot of thoughts have been put into how the employees could work more happily.

Kim Gyung-hwan: “A place full of opportunities, with many talented people and advanced technologies all in one place!” What matters the most to me is collaboration, and LG Sciencepark provides all the convenience for working with various subsidiaries and organizations. It is the best place for discovering new assignments and creating values. Put it another way, it’s a land of opportunities.