Welcome to the latest instalment of Managing IP’s ‘Five minutes with’ series, where we learn more about intellectual property practitioners on a personal and professional level. This time, we meet Youngmin Park, partner at FirstLaw PC in South Korea.
Someone asks you at a party what you do for a living. What do you say?
I usually say, “I do patents.” In a different life, I may very well have said, “I play drums.” I had aspirations to become a drummer, but I always felt I lacked the talent to turn it into a career. So, I chose to become a patent attorney instead.
Now, I am enjoying handling patents more than playing the drums, but I can’t help but think the parties I would have attended as a drummer would have been a lot more fun than the parties I typically attend as a patent attorney.
Talk us through a typical working day.
During my hour-long bus ride to the office, I study foreign languages. Over the years, I’ve tried various methods, but these days I focus on watching TV shows from different countries, looking up expressions or phrases I can’t quite catch, and recording them for later review.
At the office, like most other patent attorneys, I spend the day handling patent-related work. After work, I hop back on the bus and spend another hour studying foreign languages on my way home.
I've kept this routine for over ten years, and as a result, I'm now able to speak several foreign languages – including Japanese, English, Chinese, and French. I may not speak every language I’ve learned fluently, but I approach it like earning achievements in a game – I always aim to pass the highest level of each language test, and I’ve managed to achieve that.
Once I'm home, I spend time with my family, get some exercise, and then call it a day.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m preparing for the China Intellectual Property Annual Conference (CIPAC), which will be held in September, as well as arranging meetings for the AIPPI World Congress in Yokohama, Japan.
FirstLaw sets up a booth at CIPAC every year, and since the AIPPI World Congress takes place right after CIPAC this year, I’ll likely have to fly directly from Beijing to Yokahama without a chance to return home in between.
In addition, I’m also managing several pending trial board cases, so I regularly check on their progress and respond accordingly.
Does one big piece of work usually take priority or are you juggling multiple things?
I’m definitely a juggler. I’ve learned that if I try to tackle a big piece of work without breaking it down into smaller parts, I lose my daily routine. That disruption in rhythm affects both my health and my work efficiency.
Even when I’m assigned a major task, I divide it into smaller components based on their priority, and I allocate my available time each day to those parts accordingly.
What is the most exciting aspect of your role, and what is the most stressful?
The fact that every case is different in so many ways is both the most exciting and the most stressful part of my role.
Some cases require me to understand Chinese prior art, others involve French or Japanese documents. I also need to stay up to date with the practices and trends in major IP jurisdictions.
I also make it a point to dedicate part of my day to studying patent law and foreign languages – there’s no room for laziness.
Juggling all of this is genuinely enjoyable, but I’ll admit, some days, I just wish I could take a break.
Tell us the key characteristics that make a successful IP lawyer/practitioner.
I believe it’s all about balancing the ability to see both the big picture and the finer details.
If you focus too much on minor issues, you may lose sight of the overall direction of the case. But if you only follow the general flow, you risk overlooking the most critical points.
Finding that balance is challenging. So if someone is particularly strong at focusing on details in a specific area, I think they have a good chance of becoming a successful IP lawyer or practitioner because they can collaborate with other specialists in different areas and work together to handle a case effectively.
What is the most common misconception about IP?
The less you disclose, the stronger your rights will be.
For a certain period of time, this was almost treated as an axiom, especially in the field of patents. Of course, it’s not ideal to disclose more than what’s necessary for the scope of the claims you're seeking. However, these days, I often see cases where applicants try to obtain rights while omitting even the essential disclosures needed to support those rights. It’s a risky approach and often leads to problems later on.
What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who push their limits – both physically and mentally. Even if their efforts don’t always produce visible results, I believe the act of trying itself leads to growth.
I also draw a lot of inspiration from music, especially rock –more specifically, post-rock and math rock. I’m particularly drawn to bands where the drums stand out, and their creativity continues to inspire me deeply.
If you weren’t in IP, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be a very mediocre drummer. Even though I’m not particularly good at it, I’ve always loved playing drums – so I might have at least tried to make a living out of it.
Or maybe I’d be running a PC café while moonlighting as a drummer, which was actually a dream I had when I was younger.
Any advice you would give your younger self?
Pay more attention to the people around you and be more proactive in everything you do.
If I had realised earlier how much I enjoy learning foreign languages, how much I’d love communicating with people from around the world, and how interested I’d be in patents, I might have started living a more exciting and fulfilling life much sooner.
What is your motto in life?
Better late than never.
I started learning all my foreign languages (except English) after becoming a patent attorney. In many areas of my life, I’ve found that just getting started, even if it feels late, makes a real difference over the years.
What matters most is taking that first step and never giving up.
