(Minghui.org) Mr. Ki Tae Jeong, a native Korean, seems like your average 40-year-old man to the casual observer – friendly, and in good health. However, looks can be deceiving. Mr. Ki is actually of retirement age, but the astute telecom tycoon doesn't let this be known to just anyone.

On a pleasant summer day in mid-May, Mr. Jeong stood among 8,000 Falun Dafa practitioners in Manhattan in preparation for a parade to commemorate the 23^rd anniversary of the spiritual practice's introduction to the public.

Falun Dafa practitioners from over 50 countries gathered in New York City to participate in this celebration, including Mr. Jeong. They participated in many events on May 13 and 14, including a cultivation experience-sharing conference, group exercise demonstrations, and a parade.

Mr. Ki Tae Jeong and his wife

VP of Korean Telecom: Falun Dafa Enlightened My Life

Mr. Ki Tae Jeong is the vice president of technical development at KT Corporation, the largest telecom provider in South Korea. This made it slightly surprising when we were met with a gentle and mild-mannered man.

He began speaking about his experiences as a Falun Dafa practitioner, a title he's proudly held for 14 years. Mr. Jeong says that the meditative qualities of the practice during these years have helped foster his creative thinking, allowing him to stay one step ahead of the market.

“The corporate world craves innovation, and after practicing Falun Dafa, I was able to offer just that. The practice really helped me clear my mind and gave me insights and unique solutions into navigating the telecommunications market [of South Korea],” said Mr. Jeong.

And it seems to be a tried-and-true method as well: Mr. Jeong's colleagues are all aware of how Mr. Jeong makes his spot-on judgments, and are very supportive.

When Mr. Jeong looks at his life before Falun Dafa, he almost feels as if a different person had lived it. He had a very busy schedule with the dual responsibilities of development work and client dinners.

“I came home sober only one or two nights a week. As you can probably imagine, I was the bane of my wife's existence back then,” said Mr. Jeong. “My father was an alcoholic and died of liver cancer, so it's not like I didn't know how dangerous it was. But I just couldn't quit.”

Near the end of 2000, however, Mr. Jeong's life would take a turn for the better when a friend in Japan introduced him to a spiritual practice, curiously named “Falun Dafa.”

“It was a totally new concept to me; I couldn't describe it, but I had a feeling that this was it. It was really something, and it was good,” said Mr. Jeong. “I became enthralled with this practice and sure enough, I began seeing my life change for the better almost immediately.”

“I used to drink half a liter of liquor and two bottles of beer a day. On top of that, I'd smoke around a pack a day. Those were my drugs, and back then if you'd asked me, I wouldn't be able to imagine a day without them,” said Mr. Jeong.

After Mr. Jeong practiced Falun Dafa for one month, he was immediately able to quit drinking and smoking. There was really no process, he said. The cravings simply disappeared, as if he had never desired these things before.

When he first refused alcohol at a dinner party, his clients thought he was joking and continued to offer him liquor. He had to seriously announce that he had started a cultivation practice and now completely abstained from smoking and drinking.

Seeing his tremendous changes, Mr. Jeong's wife, mother, younger brother and sister all started practicing Falun Dafa. He also offers to teach the Falun Dafa exercises to his colleagues on a routine schedule.

Yun Kyong Hyon (Ph.D) and his wife Hi Jin Lee (Ph.D)

Senior Researcher of National Institute of Science: Navigator of My Life

Mr. Yun Kyong Hyon is a senior researcher and department director at National Institute for Mathematical Sciences in South Korea.

To him, Falun Dafa is a most intricate and extraordinary study and the key to many of his lifelong puzzles. Mr. Hyon was able to discover through his beliefs, new philosophical insights not only about his work, but about the universe at large.

He says the biggest benefit of practicing Falun Dafa is being the navigator of his life. Yun Kyong Hyon learned Falun Dafa from an old professor in 2003 and decided to give it a try, and went to the United States for a postdoctoral program in 2005.

However, Falun Dafa was not just a cerebral exercise for Mr. Hyon; it offered him guidance at a time in his life when things were directionless and chaotic.

Mr. Hyon went to the United States for his postdoctoral studies in 2005. However, when he returned home in 2012, an unprecedented challenge awaited him. His family had gotten into a tight spot emotionally and financially, and all their eyes were on him, the most educated and eldest son, to help them out.

“I knew that Falun Dafa could help solve their problems, so I tried to persuade them to learn Falun Dafa and required them to behave like practitioners,” said Mr. Hyon. “In hindsight, that wasn't really the best idea. I didn't do this for their own good, I did it for my own. And forcing something – even if it's a good thing – upon other people is not being very compassionate.”

He discussed his troubles with fellow practitioners, who offered him a lot of help and eventually led him to understand that a practitioner must treat his family with compassion and tolerance. They suggested that Mr. Hyon look inwards at what he might have done to cause these problems to find a solution.

Mr. Hyon soon noticed that when he improved his moral character and became kinder, his family became healthier. They also became more and more receptive to his efforts and to the cultivation practice. His father even volunteered to participate in a signature drive to help end the killing of imprisoned practitioners for their organs that is happening in China.

Mr. Hyon's wife Ms. Hi Jin Lee, also a PhD. in mathematics, was an absolute perfectionist before practicing Falun Dafa. The spiritual exercise drastically changed her personality.

“[After practicing Falun Dafa,] I learned to look inward and realized the heavy hand I had was mostly caused by my own problems. I became less arrogant, less competitive, less envious. And just like that, I became a more amicable and more relaxed person,” said Lee.

“Falun Dafa taught me what compassion is and how to be considerate of others. You could even say it's the light of my life,” said Lee.