One of the new features of this year’s Hankook Quarterly is the “Did you know?” column, which aims to bring you a piece of news from the company that you may not have known about before.
In our first issue, on the occasion of the recent Women’s Day, you can read about Younghee Jun, a development engineer who is a perfect example of how a woman can succeed in an industry traditionally thought of as more male-dominated.
Younghee Jun works in Hankook’s Research and Development Department as a core member of the Original Equipment Development Team. She specializes in developments related to luxury cars and has been involved in the designing of tires for the Porsche Panamera, Porsche Cayenne and BMW X3M/X4M.
Cars have fascinated Younghee since she was a child and she loves driving, so there was no question that she would pursue a career in engineering. Asked why she chose tire development, she said: “The tire is the load-bearing element of a vehicle, it connects the car to the road. It is the tire that puts the vehicle in motion and ensures its safety, which is why I chose it as my specialty.”
As an expert on tires for supercars, Younghee led the Porsche project at our company, where particular attention was paid to ensuring that the new tire should provide good steering and outstanding performance in both wet and dry conditions. The project involved working with the latest technologies and development tools, in close collaboration with the vehicle manufacturer. As project manager, Younghee’s role was to ensure smooth collaboration between all participants and to make sure that everything went according to plan. She says that being a woman in a male-dominated world is not difficult for her, and she feels that Hankook acknowledges her managerial and engineering skills.
“I believe that my personality and the way I work, the way I try to find answers to questions, is more important than what my gender is. The fact that I’m a woman doesn’t matter. I pay attention to the smallest details and I am demanding in my work. In the R&D sector, people are generally goal-oriented, and at Hankook’s Technodome we work in a very modern environment. This is extremely important for me, as it allows me to concentrate fully on my work. The diversity and equality of our staff is a given understanding among us”, says Younghee, while adding, “I hope that my example will encourage other women to feel comfortable to imagine their future in an industry that has traditionally been more male-dominated. The key to success is skill and passion”.