Victoria ’25 and Michael ’27 reflect on an the days “enlightening and thought provoking” experiences.
Today’s experiences were both enlightening and thought provoking. We visited Coupang, a leading e-commerce company similar to Amazon (founded by a Deerfield alum!), known for its innovative logistics and rapid delivery services. Ryan Brown, the representative director of fulfillment services at Coupang, guided us on a tour of their facility, providing valuable insights into the company’s operations and values. As we were led to a conference room, I noticed some prominently displayed company values on the walls. Most notably, “Disagree and commit”, which encapsulates the essence of encouraging open dialogue and diverse perspectives while emphasizing unified commitment once a decision has been made. This principle resonated deeply with me as we delved into more discussion later in the day.
We had the opportunity to hear from a North Korean defector who shared her journey of seeking freedom. Her story epitomized the spirit of defiance and unwavering commitment to her dreams. Despite facing unimaginable challenges, she refused to accept the status quo, driven by the hope and belief that life could be different. She impactfully stated, “without hope, life has no joy.” and when asked when she first realized she had true freedom, she said it was the moment she listened to Beyonce for the first time. As she said this, I was reminded that simple pleasures we often take for granted can mean the world to others.
I realize that Coupang’s value of “Disagree and commit” aligns with the defector’s journey. Just as Coupang encourages its employees to challenge norms and commit to a goal, the defector’s story embodies a courageous defiance against oppressive norms and a commitment to her vision of freedom. Leaving the conference room, I carried with me a newfound appreciation for the intersectionality of defiance, leadership, and service.
-Victoria ’25
Today in the morning we visited the Korean delivery company Coupang, one of the world’s top ten largest IT companies, by revenue, in the world. Although the CEO could not personally tour us this setback did not detract from the overall experience. In his place was Ryan Brown, who was American originally and has moved to Korea for the past four years. Ryan’s career originally started as a journalist; he got into IT after he joined GE, General Electric, for twelve years. After General Electric he moved on to Amazon for eight years before coming to Korea to work with Coupang. Throughout the tour he built on our questions and concerns; instead of dominating the entire talk, he showed the assembly line and used it to guide his tour. The best characteristic of Ryan was the way he answered our questions; he never stumbled and always talked thoroughly and smoothly. The visit to Coupang gave me a deeper insight into the economic dynamics behind shipping companies. It is going to be interesting to watch how Coupang will develop, potentially becoming the biggest shipping company in East Asia.
The North Korea speaker came to South Korea when she was only 14. It was really saddening when she talked about how she had to leave all her friends and family. At that time, she did not know the dangers of the journey to South Korea. I learned that even after the North Koreans escaped, they would have to travel through China without getting caught. If they were caught, they were sent back to North Korea, and they and their families were punished by death or some other sort of punishment. When the North Korean speaker was telling her story I could imagine the fear and sense of loneliness after running away. What I also learned was that most North Koreans that live next to the China-North Korea border are the ones escaping and they often find out about freedom through the K-dramas they watch. Presently after Kim Jong-un gained power, he made sure escaping was more dangerous and so was trying to watch a western movie. The different lives that the North Koreans live showed me something that I had previously been in the dark about. North Korea is about the people, not just Kim Jong-un and his missiles.
-Michael ’27
