Published on December 27, 2023
Job titles and other details are as of the time of publication.
(The interview was conducted in Japanese and was thereafter translated into English.)

Researching parallel inventions and the success factors of K-POP at the same time

I mainly conduct empirical research on R&D activities at the Institute of Innovation Research. For example, in my research on parallel inventions, I focused on the fact that over 500,000 patent applications are filed each year in the United States, and there is a possibility that many inventions are similar. Analyzing the determinants of similar and identical inventions, I empirically showed that the information input used for invention and the interaction between inventors had a positive and significant effect as determinants. In particular, it has been found that when inventors meet face-to-face to discuss ideas, the likelihood of similar inventions being created increases by up to five times. I published a paper last year (2024).

Meanwhile, I also focused on the success of Korean popular music, or so-called K-POP, in the global market. Until now, I think the factors contributing to K-POP's global success have been talked about from the perspective of government subsidies and digital distribution channels. In order to demonstrate the efforts that K-POP has made to create products that can be adapted overseas and the contributions of the upstream music supply chain, I analyzed the formula that K-pop has developed from the 1990s to the present, and the efforts of major talent agency founders to model success in the global market.

Of course, I have been involved in various other types of research, but my research style since my doctoral program has been to carry out two completely different types of research at the same time. I will explain later why there are two streams and what kind of synergistic effects they produce.

Experiencing both Korean and Japanese societies and hoping to create a “channel of conversation”

Because my father was stationed in Japan for work, I moved to Japan with him and lived in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture until halfway through my fourth year of elementary school. I then returned to South Korea and graduated from Daegu High School. After that, I entered the Faculty of Engineering at Tohoku University and lived in Sendai until I finished my master's degree. In that respect, I can call Sendai one of my hometowns.

Regarding language skills, rather than being bilingual in Korean and Japanese, I am aware that neither of my languages are perfectly native. It appeared that the way I spoke seemed a little strange to people from both countries, and from some point in time, I started to feel that I was bad at communicating. This experience planted me a concept of communication. On the other hand, having lived in Korea and Japan and experiencing both the good and the bad in them beyond languages, I gradually began to think about creating a “channel of conversation” between the two countries. I was convinced of the potential synergy between those countries.

As I wanted to contribute to developing communication channels, I entered Tohoku University's Faculty of Engineering, which is world-renowned for its field of communications engineering. After that, I went on to a master's program and studied communications engineering.

Entering a doctoral program to look at R&D from a social science perspective

South Korea has mandatory military service, and I finished my duty by working at LG Electronics (alternative military service). The alternative military service is for those who hold master's and doctoral degrees. As a wireless communications engineer, I conducted research and development for three years and applied for many patents globally.

In the process, I came across a number of news reports about patent lawsuits, and a question arose in my mind. The cost of filing a patent application and the amount of cost involved in managing patent rights are negligible. However, when a patent infringement lawsuit begins, the cost increases by three or four zeros. Moreover, there are cases where the cost is passed on to the end user. The question that arose in my mind was, “Aren't patents adding unnecessary costs to society?” I also had various questions and curiosity about the social science lens through which R&D is viewed, such as how economists evaluate R&D sites. As a practitioner, I sometimes could not understand or agree with economists’ articles, columns, and arguments. I felt there are miscommunications between engineers and economists.

After consideration, I decided to “transition to the social science.” I would be leaving the communications engineering and engineering jobs that I was accustomed to, but if I trace back to my roots, I had a desire to create a “channel of conversation,” or in other words, to bridge the two sides. The two sides of the bridge are not only South Korea and Japan. R&D and the social sciences also need bridging. With this in mind, I decided to make a “transition to the social science,” to the field of economics and management more precisely, which was an unexplored field to me, and proceeded to the doctoral course.

Reasons for creating “two streams of research” and their synergistic effects

At the University of Tokyo, I established the “two streams of research” that I mentioned at the beginning. What I feel more strongly because I am currently working at the Institute of Innovation Research is that innovation comes from combining ideas from different fields, not from scratch. In the process of combining them, a completely different idea may emerge. That is why two different studies are essential. There are two aims behind this. One is that you can verify whether you are conducting proper data analysis. If you are conducting research on two axes using the same data, you can immediately check if an error has occurred in either. Analyzing the same data from different perspectives not only deepens your understanding of the data, but also helps you come up with new ideas. The other aim is that you can see the versatility and extensibility of ideas and theories. In the social sciences, logic is used as a theory rather than mathematical formulas, but by conducting research along two axes, it becomes easier to see whether it can become a big theory that can be applied to other fields, or whether it is not that big of a theory. If you can confirm its versatility and expandability, it will be proof that you have taken a step forward as a researcher. With this in mind, I have maintained “two streams of research” ever since my doctoral program.

Having your own ideas is the only solution in social science

I joined the Hitotsubashi University Institute of Innovation Research through an open recruitment process. This is an environment that I have always dreamed of ever since I started researching social science. I interact with students who participate in my classes and seminars with the underlying message that I don't want them to be bound by conventional wisdom. “What changes are currently occurring in society, and how are cutting-edge companies dealing with these changes in their businesses?” “And what are the advantages and disadvantages of their influence on society and our lives?” I aim to have students approach these questions from their own perspective and come to a conclusion. Other than presenting examples to students, I basically do not interfere in their process. The reason I am so particular about people’s own perspectives and conclusions is because social science deals with human society and humans themselves, and there is no single answer. In such an environment, having your own ideas is probably the only solution. So, I don’t want students to be bound by conventional wisdom. It must be difficult for students, but I teach classes with my understanding that nurturing such students is my role in bridging students and the real world.

The time has come for society to accept students who are trying to connect with unknown worlds

My message to students in general is, “Connect with worlds that are unknown to you.”

It is said that we live in a time when uncertainty is growing, and it is hard to find anything that can be guaranteed. Both the speed and the scale of change are increasing. We live in an era where the current rules for success could become the rules for failure in the next moment. At the same time, it is an era that gives us unexpected opportunities to demonstrate the value of new ideas and experiences in a new society.

An unknown world can be viewed along spatial, temporal, and disciplinary axes. It is a privilege of university life to be able to boldly step out from where you are and experience a world you don't know, and I feel that we have entered an age when such experiences are seen as acceptable.