{"id":157,"date":"2026-05-21T21:48:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/?p=157"},"modified":"2026-05-21T21:48:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:48:42","slug":"career-interview-series-03-10-questions-with-a-tax-cpa-at-pwc-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/?p=157","title":{"rendered":"Career Interview Series 03  \u2013 10 Questions with a Tax CPA at PwC Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hello everyone, this is Global CPA ??<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome back to the \u201c10 Questions by Profession\u201d series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the third interview in this series, I invited a CPA currently working in the Tax Division at PwC Korea \u2014 one of the major pillars of the firm alongside Audit and Deal Advisory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since this interview focuses on the Tax line of service rather than audit, I think readers interested in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>taxation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>tax advisory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>corporate tax<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and tax career paths<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">will especially enjoy this conversation ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Could you briefly introduce yourself?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hello.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am currently a sixth-year Manager in the Tax Division at PwC Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I passed the Korean CPA exam at age 29 and initially joined PwC Korea\u2019s Audit Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After spending two years performing audit work, I internally transferred into the Tax line of service, where I currently work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Could you briefly explain your firm and division?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PwC Korea is one of the major accounting firms in Korea and provides a wide range of professional services through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Audit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deal Advisory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and Tax.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tax Division primarily handles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>tax compliance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>tax investigation support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>tax appeals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and tax diagnostics\/advisory work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, we do much more than simply preparing tax returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. What are your current responsibilities?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As mentioned earlier, our core responsibility is performing corporate tax adjustments for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>domestic corporations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and foreign-invested companies operating in Korea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Korea, corporate income tax returns must generally be filed within three months after year-end closing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since most companies close their books in December, tax season usually continues intensely through March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our team also handles several companies with March fiscal year-ends, so in practice our busy season often extends through June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to tax compliance work, I also participate in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>tax investigation support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and tax diagnostic engagements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tax investigation support means assisting companies during tax audits conducted by the National Tax Service (NTS), essentially representing and defending the company\u2019s position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tax diagnostic work, meanwhile, usually involves more technically complex and judgment-heavy issues than standard tax compliance work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. What made you choose this profession?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honestly, I did not have some grand dream or dramatic reason for choosing accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I graduated high school, entered university, and experienced life fairly normally like many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At some point, however, I started seriously thinking:<br>\u201cWhat kind of profession actually suits me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared to rigid legal studies, I felt naturally more interested in numbers and quantitative thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That curiosity eventually led me toward accounting and the CPA path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Although, Honestly\u2026 accounting probably has much less actual mathematics than most people expect ?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. What do you enjoy most about your current job?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, I am partially satisfied with my current profession \u2014 and I continue trying to appreciate its positive aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accounting is one of those professions where:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>if you ask someone to list the advantages, they could talk endlessly<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>but if you ask about the disadvantages, they could also talk endlessly ?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personally, one of the most satisfying aspects is that the knowledge directly helps in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, I\u2019m often able to help friends or acquaintances with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>accounting questions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>tax-related issues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or practical financial concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also enjoy the opportunity to visit many different companies and gain exposure to a wide variety of industries and business situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That exposure itself feels very valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. What do you think are your strengths in this profession?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think one of my biggest strengths is skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As accountants and tax professionals, we absolutely need to listen carefully to what clients explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, I also believe we should avoid unconditional trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes a company representative explains that:<br>\u201cThe situation is clearly A.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But after reviewing the actual details carefully, you realize:<br>\u201cIt\u2019s actually B.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if the reality turns out to be B instead of A, the entire engagement may need to be redone from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think approaching cases with healthy skepticism is one of my strongest professional traits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. How did you prepare for this career?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first and most important step was obviously passing the CPA exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since I majored in Business Administration, I already satisfied most of the eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What remained was simply surviving the exam itself ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To prepare, I joined:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>accounting academies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and my university\u2019s CPA study group.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking back, one of the nicest memories from that period was actually studying together with friends who were preparing for the same goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. If you could return to your freshman year of university, would you choose the same career again?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, definitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If I returned to freshman year, I would still choose the CPA path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, I would probably try to study harder and pass earlier ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But at the same time, many of my best memories came from struggling through the CPA journey together with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So honestly, even if I could go back, I\u2019m not sure I would actually change much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. What direction do you envision for your future career?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My long-term goal is to become a true tax specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And personally, I think the word \u201cspecialist\u201d carries enormous responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Passing the CPA exam was important, but in many ways I feel that the real studying only begins afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So moving forward, I want to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>continue gaining practical experience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>deepen my accounting and tax expertise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and eventually establish myself as a true tax expert.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. What would you like to say to students considering this profession?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some people will probably agree with my thoughts, while others may disagree ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But personally, I genuinely believe accounting is a profession worth pursuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The journey requires:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>significant time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>effort<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and sacrifice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, once you finally achieve it, I believe the rewards can exceed the energy you invested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So honestly:<br>don\u2019t overthink it too much \u2014 just start ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And for CPAs currently considering an internal transfer into Tax from Audit, I would also add one piece of advice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not transfer simply because audit busy season feels difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, think carefully about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>what kind of specialist you want to become<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and what area of expertise you truly want to build.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When transferring into Tax, factors such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>prior audit experience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>how that experience can be utilized in Tax<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and your long-term specialization goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">are much more important than age or other superficial factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That concludes the third interview in the \u201c10 Questions by Profession\u201d series with a CPA from PwC Korea\u2019s Tax Division <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personally, before this interview, I did not fully understand what tax professionals actually worked on day to day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it was fascinating to learn more about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>tax investigation support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>tax diagnostics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and how specialized the Tax division really is.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was also especially impressed by the advice given to auditors considering an internal transfer into Tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once again, thank you sincerely to the interviewee for taking the time to participate in this interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ll return soon with the next \u201c10 Questions by Profession\u201d series ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello everyone, this is Global CPA ?? Welcome back to the \u201c10 Questions by Profession\u201d series. For the third interview [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276482313,"featured_media":30,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[789500254],"tags":[5854475,3089,11468560,96832,6279525,360457108,3143634,195158,1270793],"class_list":["post-157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-big-4-professional-life","tag-accounting-career","tag-audit","tag-audit-life","tag-big4","tag-career-interview","tag-kicpa","tag-public-accounting","tag-pwc","tag-tax-service"],"spectra_blocks_featured_image_url":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nova-labs-eba19ceab3a0.jpg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nova-labs-eba19ceab3a0.jpg","width":300,"height":300},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nova-labs-eba19ceab3a0.jpg","width":688,"height":688},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nova-labs-eba19ceab3a0.jpg","width":688,"height":688},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nova-labs-eba19ceab3a0.jpg","width":688,"height":688}},"spectra_blocks_author_info":{"display_name":"Global CPA","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5f9a1c8991b96bf07ae7da85eb2801609cf198dbe584f0216ad79db365569326?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","author_link":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/?author=276482313","description":"- KICPA \n- USCPA Maine \n- ACCA\n- CPA Austrailia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/276482313"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions\/159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}