Everyone has their own strengths and potentials to become a leader. Yet, the deceased Korean freedom fighter Dosan Ahn Chang Ho did not define a leader as one who simply possessed a superior ability. He believed good leaders should combine their talents with sincerity, dedication, and integrity. In this sense, the president of the Dosan Academy, Baik Doo-Kwon, is one of the most influential leaders of the digital information era.

Forty-three years ago, Baik Doo-Kwon was a sophomore at Korea University (KU), studying Mathematics. He was agonizing over his life and who his role models were. That was when he encountered Hung Sa Dan, or Young Korean Academy, an organization created by Dosan Ahn Chang Ho to foster young people capable to become leaders.

Dosan’s patriotic philosophy enlightened Baik’s desire to become an educator. “As the saying ‘one man, one skill,’ I pondered on what skill I could have as a future educator and leader,” Baik recalled. Fortunately, his second life-changing instant followed when taking the classes of Professor Park Chan-Mo, also the president of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). He set his heart to become an educator in the information technology (IT) field, which is the foundation of the Dosan Academy.

The academy strives to lead Korean society into a first-rate nation by educating social leaders. Dosan Academy’s mission is to inspire the leading people of society to expand communities, and therefore Korea. The organization offers monthly seminars and forums targeting Korean leaders. The Dosan Academy also annually awards leaders who fulfill Dosan Ahn Chang Ho’s pursuits such as education and business.

Furthermore, the academy also targets future promising leaders by opening public service business that support and mentor children of multicultural families. Such exhaustive activities prove the dedication and development of Dosan Academy during the past 25 years. Nonetheless, regardless of the swift change to the digital age ushered in, the academy has never neglected its roots in Dosan’s ubiquitous value, honesty.

“We train leaders how to communicate horizontally, since that is the key to becoming a transparent leader and gaining people’s faith in the 21st century information-oriented age,” said Baik. Horizontal communication, which is a break from the conventional vertical communication, asks leaders to share their talents and mediate conflict by allocating their authority and role.

▲ The 212th Smart Forum held on June 13. Provided by Dosan Academy.

As the president of the Dosan Academy, Baik has practiced such communication skills throughout his life by donating his cross-over leadership as an expert of both liberal arts and natural sciences. This multi-talented leader is also the advisor of the Software System Laboratory of the College of Informatics and a Professor of the Graduate School of Convergence IT at KU.

Baik applies his knowledge of software and informatics to foster leaders at the Dosan Academy. “We inform the leaders about the need for a paradigm shift,” he replied firmly. “We live in a ‘smart’ age where everything is software-based. This is why we implant conceptual shifts in leaders of all areas, the need to let go of traditional unilateral communication.”

Yet, Baik confesses that the drastic system shift from analogue to digital has mainly caused two difficulties in nurturing horizontally-communicating leaders. The information gap has accelerated income inequality, and anonymous cyber-attacks are an unprecedented type of violence. These are the biggest obstacles in educating leaders to communicate effectively.

“Broken faith is the death of the youth, and the death of the youth is the fall of a nation,” cried Dosan, fighting whole heartedly for a democratic and independent nation of patriotic and wise citizens. Under his immortal saying, Baik Doo-Kwon says the wish for his academy is to produce “contemporary leaders who grow insight of the three indispensable components of the world—the people, matters, and incidents.” Rather than being confined to settling imminent problems and being stuck with one thing, Baik advises youngsters to pursue a wider perspective and deeper curiosity of the world.

Still, this does not mean to recklessly absorb all information. Instead, the leader stresses the significance of choice and the responsibility that follows it. “Life has no right or wrong, it only has choices,” expressed Baik. “Actively, positively, and diligently devote to the world around. Create as many alternatives as possible. Yet, be frank, sincere, and prudent with each final decision, and bear the responsibility.”

Baik himself faced innumerable challenges in carrying out his cross-over leadership. After all, he made his choice and realized that it was the optimal one. Now, his ultimate goal is to return his ability and knowledge to the society. “Love yourself, love others,” Dosan once said, underscoring the inspirational ability as one of the main constituents of a leader. Like the way the great Dosan inspired Baik, Baik wishes to coach and mentor future leaders, and contribute to forming a harmonious community.