 Women Inventors Association |
Staff Reporter
Korean female golfers, including Pak Se-ri and Shin Ji-yai, have dominated the LPGA Tour for the last 10 years. Recently, Kim Yu-na won gold in figure skating at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The common trait among these sportswomen is their strong passion to achieve their goals.
One Korean businesswoman is seeking to cultivate female potential through the globalization of invention with the same zeal.
"Women have enormous potential. If we can realize it, there will be huge economic and social effects. Invention can be a good trigger to pull potential out from the inside," Han Mi-young, president of the Korea Women Inventors Association (KWIA), said in an interview with The Korea Times at her office in Seoul.
"I often tell our members that when it comes to invention, money is in your head. Women have an edge over men in invention as they have a delicate sense and unique flexibility. They have the ability to create something they need," she added.
The vice president of Taeyang Metal Industrial said that invention can give women economic benefits as well as social networks.
"If a housewife has an idea for a new product, she can register it at the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). After getting the intellectual property rights for the idea from the government agency, she can sell it to manufacturers. It costs 5 to 10 million won per patent," the 56-year-old president said.
"Members meet regularly to share information on all issues of inventions as well as encouraging social interaction. It is a good opportunity to know each other and get feedback on inventions."
Han is now seeking to host an international event here as part of globalizing inventions of Korean women.
"We hosted the Korea International Women's Investors Exposition (KIWIE) in May 2008. It was the first time that female inventors gathered together at an international level. About 150 female inventors from 30 countries attended," Han said.
The government decided to sponsor the event for the successful hosting of the exhibition.
"KIPO officials were initially skeptical over the international exposition. However, they were surprised to experience the passion of international female inventors. KIPO is now one of our major sponsors."
It was not only the local agency that recognized the event. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) also decided to support KIWIE.
WIPO officials appreciated our efforts. They praised us for having done great jobs, she said.
Han and the KWIA are preparing the third exhibition, which will be held at COEX, southern Seoul, from May 6 to 9.
"We expect about 400 female inventors from 35 countries, including Thailand, the U.K., the Philippines, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Nigeria, to attend to share their experiences," she said.
The Ewha Womans University graduate said that invention can be a good method for education as creativity can be passed on from mothers to children through activities.
"A child imitates what the mother does. If a mother takes pleasure in creating something, it flows to her kids naturally," she said.
She suggested that women start inventing small things.
"I hope every single woman tries to invent at least one item. They may realize the power of invention, which can change lives."
shosta@koreatimes.co.kr
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