▶ People③
Yoon Seon Joo, CEO of JJAANN Company (Class of '96, Department of Communication)
In an era where we are encouraged to challenge, converge, and grow at a time when we are crushed by conditions that are consumed as the correct answer, CEO Yoon quietly raised the question “Am I happy now?” I believe her inquiry stems from the fact that we can converge and continue our own journey of evolution in our own unique way by beginning it with a familiar but heavy question.
Having graduated from the SNU Department of Communication, worked as a broadcast producer and an executive at a global company, and earned degrees from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School, Ms. Yoon is now a female CEO with a truly enviable career.
It is obvious to anyone that her bold challenges were possible thanks to her solid background, and that her success was predetermined. However, Ms. Yoon’s driving force was her persistent question, “Am I happy now?” rather than her comfortable environment.
“I lost my older brother right before I began high school. Because he was my strongest source of support, I was deeply heartbroken and felt as if I could follow him. However, my parents’ presence prevented me from doing so. In the end, I chose to live happily — enough for the both of us. I believe my brother, who seemed to lack nothing, fell into depression simply because he wasn’t happy at the time.
Ms. Yoon pondered the meaning of happiness, rather than success, throughout her college years. She was already on the road to success when she was admitted to SNU, but recognized the social expectation that demands a certain level of job or status as a problem. She attached importance to the various types of happiness that each person seeks, rather than the criteria set by others.
“At the beginning, I was striving to find something with which I could devise a grand plan spanning 20 to 30 years. Despite my pursuit of a career in which I could be happy by being immersed for a long time, I soon realized that it would be better for me to change and converge along the journey of life, rather than endeavor to adjust to such a long-term plan. From then on, I started to explore my identity through various experiences based on the question, ‘Am I happy now?’”
Her first job at a consulting firm promised financial stability and potential for growth; however, in Ms. Yoon’s eyes, people in difficult situations seemed more important, leading her to realize that she was the type of person who naturally responded to their needs.
“Although I could have found value in my hobbies while working at a company, such a lifestyle felt somewhat cowardly. Thus, in an attempt to do something meaningful, I became a broadcast producer. However, while I was generally happy in the job, I occasionally felt empty, and upon re-asking myself ‘Am I happy now?’, the answer came to my mind that I would only be truly happy if I engaged in something that contributed to the public.”
Ms. Yoon was admitted to Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School with the unexpected goal of becoming an “activist at an international organization,” while she looked for the gap between reality and ideals. International law had a weak binding nature, and it took a considerable time to achieve results through her activities at an international organization. In the end, Ms. Yoon changed her career direction again, accepting the fact that she was a “realistic person who wanted to see results earlier.”
Afterward, Ms. Yoon started working as a lawyer in Hong Kong. Her peers of similar ages were already partners, which along with her accumulated experiences over the years, aroused no anxiety about her situation as a newbie attorney. Her history of founding Coupang with her Harvard alumni while posing as a “culture evangelist” is further fascinating. However, her immediate answer to her trademark question “Am I happy now?” was still not “satisfactory.” It was not until she received an offer from Education First (EF), a global education company that she realized the potential of expertise from a seemingly inconsistent career.
“My father was worried that I lacked established expertise in a specific area, whereas the EF’s response was different. They recognized strategic thinking from my consulting experience, content creation and planning skills from my producer experience, and leadership skills from my startup experience. They also welcomed my experience as a lawyer because I would be able to understand contracts. I finally gained confidence that a convergence of experience in various areas in which I am competent, rather than that of a single field, could lead to the completed career puzzle.”
“As I have meaningfully combined consulting, broadcasting, law, and education,
which are suitable for me, a new path has unfolded.
I am still on track.
Thus, convergence may be an ongoing journey, rather than a one-off mission?”
While working as Country Manager of EF Korea and Head of Asia, she felt rewarded by unlocking others’ potential. However, the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic left her with a tricky question: “Am I merely complacent now?” As she browsed around to find answers, the daily lives of people in isolation caught her attention.
“I believe that people are most emotionally happy when with others. I once distanced myself from social interaction and relationships to overcome my depression and unhappiness but found myself to be happiest when I was with those who I get along with. This awareness motivated me to found ‘Social-Drinking Metaverse JJAANN.’”
Ms. Yoon intended to create a space for emotional recovery, a place where birds of a feather could meet and support each other. However, she aimed to avoid the concentration of a network dominated by a specific group, and by planning a space where non-entertainers and entertainers—ordinary people and celebrities—gather, she has positioned JJAANN as more than a mere social drinking platform. Ms. Yoon, who has returned to her initial theme of “diversity” and “people,” is still wary that her story could be mistaken as a “success story.”
“I hope that convergence should not be regarded as a panacea. Because I am an energetic and adventurous person, who tries everything, I made a bold attempt. However, there may be those who are uncomfortable with change or convergence. Such people must come to know themselves to be able to make a choice because they ‘prefer it’ rather than ‘deem it decent.’ I believe a person should first find the scale and direction they can properly handle by continuing to experience small things whether it is dating, studying, gathering, or traveling.”
Ms. Yoon is still playing various types of jigsaw puzzles. Despite unpredictable results of the completion, one thing is certain. The final version will be a unique picture of Ms. Yoon that encompasses meanings, fun, value, and even people.
The drinking metaverse jjaann is a space for recovery where people with similar personalities, celebrities, domestic fans, and foreign fans gather to share their daily lives, tastes, and concerns.
