TWM 189: How to Do Business in South Korea in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond w/ Don Southerton

Don Southerton was first featured on episode #057 of this podcast. As the Founder & CEO at Bridging Culture Worldwide, he helps Korea-facing business by assisting companies in their market entry strategy into South Korea, by helping Korean brands expand into North America and internationally.

With nearly four decades of experience, Don is recognized as the definitive authority on South Korean business consulting and Korean corporate culture. In fact, he is known in business circles as “The Hyundai Whisperer”. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, top Korean groups, leading international law firms, and elite consultancies. He has worked with a variety of industries, including automotive, golf, quick-service restaurant sectors, New Urbanism, and green technology.

In late 2019, Don became the Global Head of Corporate Communications at Hancom Group, which is South Korea’s leading ICT company. He now heads up the group’s global communications and PR, as well as its North American market entry. In addition, my guest is a regular contributor to online publications such as Branding in Asia on the topic of Korean business, and he is the author and co-author of several books, including Korea Perspective.

In this interview, Don talks about how South Korea’s economy is weathering the COVID-19 pandemic, how he’s seeing interesting shifts in traditional Korean corporate culture, and what those changes mean for Western companies looking to do business there.

 

Links:

Bridging Culture Worldwide website Bridging Culture Worldwide on LinkedIn Bridging Culture Worldwide on Facebook Don’s books on Amazon Free copy of Don’s book: “Korea 2020, A Workplace in Transition” Don’s articles on Branding in Asia Don on LinkedIn Don on Facebook Don on YouTube Don on Instagram Don on Twitter

 

This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.