Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources



Analysis Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources Overfocus on prestige signaling makes for pretty settings but little substance or real debate, experts say Chad O'CarrollNovember 24, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Empty chairs in a conference hall \| Image: Jonas Kakaroto via Pexels Conferences on ill-defined themes and hundreds of speakers with little related expertise. Panels crowded with more than a dozen speakers at a single time. Slides overflowing with text. Lineups featuring no women whatsoever. These are just some of the issues regularly plaguing South Korea’s conference circuit, which despite being an industry worth almost U.S. $10 billion, rarely sparks actual debate or provides information that wasn’t easily available online. Conferences on ill-defined themes and hundreds of speakers with little related expertise. Panels crowded with more than a dozen speakers at a single time. Slides overflowing with text. Lineups featuring no women whatsoever. These are just some of the issues regularly plaguing South Korea’s conference circuit, which despite being an industry worth almost U.S. $10 billion, rarely sparks actual debate or provides information that wasn’t easily available online. Get 30 days of free access to KoreaPro Full access to all analysis The KOREA PRO newsletter, every business day Daily analysis on the top story of the day The ability to suggest topics for coverage by our specialist team Be smart about South Korea Get full access to expert analysis and opinion. Start now No charges during your trial. Cancel anytime. A paid subscription will start after 30 days. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Briefing Start your day with the South Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily Briefing. LATEST ANALYSIS 01South Korea’s women-only universities weigh co-education as enrollments decline 02South Korea targets semiconductor self-reliance for national defense 03Employment for married South Korean women hits record but Devil is in details 04Trump’s return forces South Korea’s defense industry to adapt to new realities 05Lee Jae-myung verdict disrupts South Korea’s opposition party and 2027 election 06South Korea grapples with how to stymie crypto-fueled drug trade 07Science vs. Humanities: Why South Korean students switch their academic tracks 08How pro-Russian hackers took down South Korea websites over support for Ukraine

Analysis

Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

Overfocus on prestige signaling makes for pretty settings but little substance or real debate, experts say

Chad O'CarrollNovember 24, 2022

Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

Empty chairs in a conference hall | Image: Jonas Kakaroto via Pexels

Conferences on ill-defined themes and hundreds of speakers with little related expertise. Panels crowded with more than a dozen speakers at a single time. Slides overflowing with text. Lineups featuring no women whatsoever.

These are just some of the issues regularly plaguing South Korea’s conference circuit, which despite being an industry worth almost U.S. $10 billion, rarely sparks actual debate or provides information that wasn’t easily available online.

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Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

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Chad O'Carroll

Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

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