I'm just an average dude born in Seoul in 1980, raised there, and finished my military service as a Sergeant. After high school, I skipped college, finished design school, and started my career as a fashion designer. I did that for about 10 years and even ran my own shop. I got bored, quit everything, and opened a bar with a buddy (I was really into wine and whiskey). Through the bar, I got close with liquor companies and started doing agency work for their brand events. Eventually, I quit the bar, joined an agency, and got scouted by our client, a liquor company. I handled 'party drink' brands for clubs, parties, and festivals, and then I got scouted by the brand's US headquarters. That's how I unexpectedly ended up at a global company.

As you can see, my English education ended in high school. My biggest academic achievement to date is a 128-day Duolingo streak. I even used an interpreter during the interview. Luckily...? After doing some Duolingo (not an ad) and constantly dealing with emails and weekly video calls, it's actually been improving bit by bit.

What I've learned working at a US company: 1) As long as you aren't completely deaf and mute, you can handle work using AI and translation tools. Important stuff isn't said verbally anyway; it's all in docs and emails, so it's fine if your speaking sucks. Tech will only get better, making things even easier. 2) Accents don't matter. Monday is the worldwide call, Tuesday is the Asia call. I hear English from Germany, France, Eastern Europe, Thailand, China, Singapore, Vietnam, you name it. You just need to understand them. Everyone knows English isn't their native language, so they're chill. African and Vietnamese accents were the hardest for me (they probably struggle with my 'Korean English' too lol). 3) Just be good at your job. Nobody calls you out for bad English or a shitty accent. But if you suck at your job, they get *pissed*. If I were a boss, I’d hire a skilled worker over a fluent speaker too. If I opened a branch in Thailand, I’d want someone who knows the business, not just someone who speaks Korean. Language tools exist, but a specialist is a rare gem.

I'm not married yet and have no kids, but if I do, I won't force them to study English like crazy. I want to raise them to focus on what they enjoy and build their own skills. If you tell me, 'You're only saying this because you don't have kids yet!!' then yeah, I can't argue with that lol.