Interview with Genya Smagin
Senior Manager, AI Strategy & Partnerships at SK Telecom
Co-founder, Digital Twins Podcast
🎤 What initially drew you to Korea, and how has your journey here unfolded over time?
📝Genya Smagin: My first introduction to Korea was as an exchange student, where I had the opportunity to study at three different universities—Korea University in Seoul, Chungnam National University in Daejeon, and Chonnam National University in Gwangju. This experience gave me a broad perspective on the country as I was studying in three very distinct regions of Korea, helped me build strong friendships, and significantly improved my Korean language skills.
As I neared the end of my undergraduate studies, I became increasingly interested in continuing my education in Korea. KAIST was my top choice, so I applied, got accepted, and returned to Korea with my twin brother, Oleg Smagin. After completing my graduate studies, I transitioned into the corporate world and joined SK Telecom, where I currently work. The journey has been both challenging and rewarding, and Korea has become a second home for me.
🎤 How did you come to appear on the renowned TV program Abnormal Summit, and what was that experience like for you?
📝 Genya Smagin: One of my friends who was at the show casting before, recommended me for the new season casting, which led to my participation. Later, I also appeared on several other Korean TV programs, including KBS and SBS.
However, once I started my professional career, my schedule became much busier, making it harder to continue with TV appearances. That said, even years later, I still occasionally meet people at events who recognize me. For me, television was always more of a personal hobby than a professional pursuit.
Interestingly, I’ve never been someone who gets nervous about public speaking. Even at work, when I have to give an unexpected presentation—like, “There’s a meeting with the CEO this afternoon”—I focus on delivering the content rather than stressing over the pressure. I think this mindset also helped me feel comfortable in front of the camera. Over time, through live broadcasts and multiple recordings, I became even more at ease speaking in front of new audiences.
🎤 I've been following your LinkedIn posts lately—what inspired you to start sharing content consistently?
📝 Genya Smagin: I’ve always enjoyed writing. Even as a student, I had a habit of jotting down my thoughts and organizing my experiences.
So when I started using LinkedIn professionally, it felt natural to share my insights and perspectives through writing. Over time, I realized that consistent posting not only helped me refine my ideas but also allowed me to expand my network and connect with professionals globally.
🎤 What inspired you to start leveraging LinkedIn as a professional platform?
📝 Genya Smagin: My background is in economics, and I later pursued an MBA in finance.
When I first joined SK Telecom, I started in the 5G business department— a few months after I started 5G was officially launched in Korea in April 2019. I was responsible for cloud gaming services, which was an exciting challenge since 5G’s low latency and high-speed connectivity had a direct impact on the game streaming industry.
However, with my strong foundation in finance, I transitioned to the investment department after a year, where I spent three years working on everything from startup funding to large-scale M&As. A major part of my role involved identifying and evaluating international companies for potential investment opportunities.
One challenge, however, was that frequent international business trips weren’t always feasible. Apart from attending major industry events like CES or MWC, we had limited opportunities to meet startups in person. That’s when I started actively leveraging LinkedIn for deal sourcing and professional outreach, allowing me to connect with key players in the industry more efficiently.
🎤 What led you to make LinkedIn a key part of your professional strategy?
📝 Genya Smagin: Traditional outreach methods, like cold emails through a company’s website, rarely get responses. But LinkedIn provides direct access to key decision-makers, making it an incredibly powerful tool.
For investment opportunities, I used LinkedIn to connect with CEOs, CTOs, partnership managers, and IR managers, reaching out directly to set up meetings. Since my LinkedIn profile played a crucial role in first impressions, I made a conscious effort to optimize it—ensuring that anyone visiting my page could quickly understand who I am, what I do, and why I’m reaching out.
That’s also why I started posting more detailed content about my work and experiences—to reinforce my expertise and build stronger connections. Even now, after transitioning into the AI strategy department, I continue to rely on LinkedIn as a key platform for networking, startup collaboration, and global partnerships, because it continues to be a part of my job.
🎤 Who do you primarily create content for on LinkedIn?
📝Genya Smagin: I believe there is a lot of high-quality content about Korean business written in Korean. However, I’ve noticed that there aren’t many people with an international background and extensive tech business experience in Korea—like my brother and me—who write about these topics in English. That’s why I focus on covering Korean business matters in English.
I assume that most of my audience consists of international professionals, both inside and outside of Korea, who are interested in how Korean business works. I’ve been receiving many messages from people saying that my content is highly insightful and provides first-hand experiences that often challenge common stereotypes about Korean business.
Korean business evolves rapidly, and many of the traditional stereotypes no longer hold true. There are new dynamics at play, and my goal is to uncover and share these insights through my writing.
I see value in offering an international perspective on Korea, especially for foreigners interested in working, studying, or starting businesses here. Many of my followers are professionals who have already gained some experience in Korea and are looking for insights from someone who has navigated the system.
While a significant number of my readers are expats living in Korea, I’ve noticed growing engagement from Europe, the U.S., and other parts of Asia. Among them, many are professionals exploring opportunities at major Korean companies or within the startup ecosystem. Additionally, a lot of students follow my content as they prepare to enter the Korean job market after finishing their studies.
🎤 How has LinkedIn’s presence and usage in Korea changed over the past few years?
📝 Genya Smagin: I started using LinkedIn about eight years ago, and back then, it wasn’t widely used in Korea. But around five years ago, I noticed a sudden surge in activity. Even my close colleagues, who had never used LinkedIn before, started creating accounts for the first time.
One moment that really stood out was seeing someone on a train, actively chatting on LinkedIn from their laptop. That’s when it hit me—LinkedIn had officially become a mainstream platform in Korea.
🎤 Many Korean professionals have LinkedIn accounts but rarely share content. Why do you think that is?
📝 Genya Smagin: That’s true—many people create a LinkedIn account but hesitate to post.
One common reason I hear is that they worry their company might assume they’re looking for a new job. But in reality, posting on LinkedIn isn’t just about job hunting.
LinkedIn is much more than that—it’s a space for thought leadership, professional networking, and sharing insights. Regularly engaging helps establish credibility, build a professional reputation, and connect with like-minded professionals.
🎤 How does LinkedIn content creation in Korea compare to that of international users?
📝 Genya Smagin: With the rise of AI-powered writing tools, I’ve noticed that a lot of LinkedIn posts feel overly polished and structured these days. In many Western countries, people tend to share their thoughts more freely, without worrying too much about perfection. But in Korea, there’s often a stronger pressure to make every post “perfect” or extremely formal. Many users feel the need to carefully craft every word, which can sometimes hold them back from posting at all.
Personally, I think authenticity and individuality matter more than perfection. I’d love to see more Korean users expressing themselves naturally, rather than feeling pressured to create highly polished content every time.
The most important thing for me is the idea and insight behind the post and the way you unfold it with a limited number of words.
🎤 LinkedIn engagement can be unpredictable—how do you think the algorithm impacts this?
📝 Genya Smagin: Yes, I’ve noticed that some posts get tens of thousands of likes, while others barely reach a few hundred. LinkedIn’s algorithm plays a big role in how far a post spreads. Some posts only reach first-degree connections, while others extend beyond third- or fourth-degree networks. That’s why I don’t focus too much on these fluctuations.
What really matters is consistency—sharing insights and engaging with my network in a meaningful way. For me, writing on LinkedIn isn’t about chasing engagement—it’s about organizing my thoughts, providing value, and contributing to professional discussions.
🎤 What inspired you to launch your AI podcast, and who is your intended audience?
📝 Genya Smagin : We launched our AI podcast in September last year, and I co-host it with my twin brother, Oleg, who also works in AI and investment in Pangyo. Our frequent discussions about these topics naturally led to the idea of starting a podcast. What makes it truly unique is that AI generates the episodes itself—while we write the script, the actual conversation happens without human voices. At the time of its launch, it was the first of its kind globally, and even now, it remains a highly innovative podcast format.
Unlike YouTube, where monetization is a key focus, we created this podcast to educate people about AI’s capabilities and real-world applications. Right now, it's more of a passion project, but we’ll see how it evolves. Currently, our podcast page has around 100 followers, and according to Apple Podcasts and Spotify analytics, some episodes attract several thousand listeners, with a few even surpassing 10,000 listeners.
Our primary audience is people in their 20s and 30s, and since we use English keywords and hashtags, we naturally attract more international listeners, especially from the U.S. and the U.K. We release new episodes weekly and are now preparing for Season 2.
🎤 What do you think has been the key to attracting a global audience to your AI podcast?
📝Genya Smagin: The biggest factor has been search visibility optimization.
When people search for keywords like "AI" or "GPT" on podcast platforms, our podcast ranks well because Apple Podcasts and Spotify prioritize content based on keyword relevance. This naturally helps us attract a global audience.
Another key factor is that our podcast is in English, which gives it a broader reach. While some listeners prefer Korean-language AI content, most tech and AI enthusiasts engage with discussions in English, which has helped us grow our international listener base.
One interesting trend I’ve noticed is how engagement behavior on social media is shifting. Just like Instagram now allows users to hide likes, people are becoming more passive consumers of content. On platforms like LinkedIn, many users scroll through posts without actively engaging, even if they find the content valuable.
🎤 Personal branding is essential, yet many are reluctant to embrace it. Why do you think that is?
📝Genya Smagin: I don’t think people avoid personal branding because they don’t want to—I think many just haven’t fully discovered themselves yet. Personal branding isn’t just self-promotion—it’s a process of self-discovery that naturally raises important questions:
How do others perceive me?
Who am I as a professional?
What kind of career and life do I want?
Taking the time to reflect on these questions helps people clarify their identity, direction, and professional positioning—which ultimately makes personal branding feel more natural and authentic.
🎤 In your opinion, what is the most important factor in building a strong personal brand?
📝Genya Smagin: Personal branding isn’t just about crafting a great story—it’s about execution. Just like in startup investments, an idea is only as strong as the founder’s ability to execute it. The same applies to personal branding—having potential isn’t enough. You need to effectively communicate and demonstrate your capabilities.
At its core, personal branding is about positioning yourself in the market and consistently delivering value. Execution beats planning. The people who take action—rather than just strategizing—are the ones who create opportunities and build strong, lasting brands.
Key takeaways from this interview
🔹 Personal branding is more about self-discovery than self-promotion.
🔹 Genya Smagin’s fearless approach to new challenges shines through his LinkedIn posts, inspiring many.
🔹 Consistency and execution define personal branding. Start today—polish your profile and share a short post with your insights!
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I support the challenge of the wonderful and handsome brothers. It was an opportunity to look at LinkedIn from a global perspective. Thank you for sharing such good insights.