Interview: Mr. Bahk Jae-wan, Minister of Strategy and Finance

The Korean government, in its announcement of the official economic policy directions for 2012, has projected that the Korean economy grew by 3.8 percent in 2011 and will have a slightly lower 3.7 percent growth for 2012. The nation’s consumer inflation will drop to 3.2 percent, trade will see $16 billion in surplus, and jobs will expand by 280,000, the government further predicted. In order to act preemptively against external threats caused by a slowing global economy, the Korean government will be allowing early access to the budget for the first half next year and boosting the domestic market to stimulate the economy. Meanwhile, Europe’s debt problem and slowing global recovery are expected to hold back Korea’s export and import growth from last years 19.2 percent and 23.2 percent to 7.4 percent and 8.4 percent, each. Though growth in exports tapers off, private consumption will fill in the slack by rising from 2.5 percent last year to 3.1 percent this year. In early December 2011, Minister of Strategy and Finance, Mr. Bahk Jae-wan, announced that the government will focus on boosting the economy and stabilizing people’s livelihoods this year in order to build a ground for ‘eco-systemic development’ or shared growth. However following the the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the government has now changed its economic policy priority for 2012 to risk management and discovering new growth engines from job creation. MOSF cited the euro-zone debt crisis, and the geopolitical risks of the Korean peninsula and the Middle East crisis as the three largest risk factors that will threaten the Korean economy this year. Korea’s contingency plan initially included the euro-zone debt crisis only, but North Korea and the Middle East were added in the list. Foreign investors are all aware of the risks and are confident that the Korean government will put in place suitable policies to minimize the fallout. They believe that despite the risks, domestic businesses can turn the current difficulty into an opportunity. In the end, relative to its neighbors, Korea was able to benefit from the Asian crisis in 1997 and 1998. It is sure to happen this time too. In an interview, Minister Bahk outlines the government’s strategies for this year.

What are the risk factors to the Korean economy this year? And what are the government priorities and plans to manage them? I do believe that there are many risk factors for the year 2012. I believe that the issue closest to the EUCCK would be the European financial crisis. Secondly, Korea has a high reliance on international markets, especially the import of raw materials. Therefore the developments of the Iranian situation and its impact on the international crude oil prices will impact Korea. Internally, in Korea, for the first time in 20 years we have the presidential elections and the general elections being held at the same time. Just like the eurozone decision, we may find that it is very difficult to make timely decisions. Decision making may be delayed, which will create more risk factors. Concerning the European financial crisis, as you are well aware the maturity for the Italian sovereign bond is between February and April and until June many EU banks will be securing their core capital rates which may lead to de-leveraging, which may impact trade finance for Korean companies, leading to instability. However, as you are aware, within the European zone there is to be the EU summit in the end of January. And at the end of February we will expect to be holding the G20 financial ministers meeting. There is also the agreement between the heads of Germany and France. As the crisis escalates, we look forward to a faster decision making process. And therefore our expectation is that we will be able to find the key to the solutions within the first quarter of this year. We do believe that we are considering the possibility of the impact of the European financial crisis on the Korean financial market. We have contingency plans in place and we are responding according to our plans. For example, there was the issuance of bonds by EXIM bank of $2.5 billion and there was a booking of over $9 billion. We do believe that our foreign reserves is adequate and we also have various plans for worst case scenarios. Concerning the developments of the Iranian situation. I don’t believe it is within our control. However we are coming up with various measures to mitigate the impact of the development . The reminder of the issues are diplomatic issues and I am not in a position to reveal the details. Concerning the two major elections to be held this year, unlike the EU, we do not have a system centered around the parliament. And it is centered around the president. Therefore the traditional bureaucracy within our government bodies including the ministry of finance are quite patriotic in our work, and traditionally we believe that these patriotic status of our bureaucrats impact the decision making of the state and therefore I do not think there is too much to worry about the contingencies following the 2 elections. As we rely on our mature media in Korea and our opinion leaders in Korea we will make sure that we keep a balance against populism. And difficulties in decision making as well as confusion in government policies. I have very optimistic views for this year. Over the last couple of years, the foreign exchange rate has been very volatile. Is the government planning to implement measures for making them more stable? The volatility of the exchange rate has been there since 2008, and it now reducing. It was 0.94 in 2008 which reduced to 0.48 percent last year. This is better than the European figures of 0.57 percent. As you are well aware the later half of last year saw a high degree of volatility in international markets and I do believe that in Korea it was relatively stable. Today I saw that there was a trend of depreciation in the morning but we do believe that any extreme change in any one direction is not ideal, therefore ewe will work to mitigate the volatility of our exchange rates What the government is considering is that our foreign exchange market is quite small at the moment and so we will work on adding depth and width to our market. As for capital market we will provide incentives to encourage long term investments we will continue to enhance the size of our capital market so that it will be able to absorb any shocks in the future. Concerning the inflow and outflow of capital, we believe that any rapid change is not ideal and we are therefore looking at ways to mitigate....so that is why we we have come up with three regulations for foreign currency. We will continue to analyze the pluses and minuses of these regulations and work on any improvement as necessary. As for the bond market, many of the central banks outside Korea, are well interested in the Korean market. And they believe that the forecast is positive. so we will continue to collaborate closely with some central banks of other countries. And we will also continue to work to make sure that there is a virtuous cycle to reduce the volatilities. The biggest burden on household finances this year is expected to be the rising costs of living. What are the government's countermeasures to tackle inflation issues? First of all, I believe that the role that the government can play in controlling inflation is quite limited and the efforts should be made in a market friendly manner. Compared to advanced nations the cost of living in Korea is not high but the increase is relatively high. We believe that the rate of increase is around 1 percentage point higher than other advanced nations we do have indepth analysis concerning the reason for such rapid increase and we believe it is the hindering of competition, the insufficient opening of information and the possible bubble that this creates in the market may contribute to the increases. The attitude of the consumers themselves is also contributing to such increases. Ostentatious display has also also led to bubble. There are also many different reasons . The reason that the government cannot control is the worsening of the climate conditions which leads to changes in raw material cost. However, the reason that we can deal with such as structural reasons, the sentiments of consumers, disclosure of information or encouraging of competition..these are the issues that the government will work on from the mid to long term, there are many micro aspects to the measures that we will be working.

Read more »

Interview: Mr. Kwon Do-youp, Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs

In May 2011, Mr. Kwon Do-youp was appointed as the Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), prior to which, he was first vice minister in the ministry. The First form of MLTM, named as Mnistry of Transportation, was organized at the time of the establishment of the Korean government on August 15, 1948. Since then the Ministry has been renamed as Ministry of Construction and Ministry of Construction and Transportation and finally was recreated by the Government’s reorganization through merging with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in 2008. Minister Kwon is an expert official on housing affairs who took the head-post of Housing Division and acted as Director General for Housing Affairs in Ministry of Construction and Transport (MCT). He has shown both professionalism and driving force in handling land and housing affairs, and that he is judged the right man to upgrade housing environments through stable supplies of houses and to find new solutions to the various housing problems particularly for low-income people. He started civil service, assuming an officer post in deliberation of New Town Development in the Ministry of Construction (MC), and held several key posts including Land Policy Div. Director General (DG), Housing Div. DG and Public Relation Division DG and assistant VM in MCT. And he finally made the first VM in MLTM. Starting his civil service in construction sector, he is deemed to have acquired deep experiences with transport as president of Korea Expressway Corp., state-run, before he was appointed the first VM of MLTM. As a major in civil engineering and public administration, he is highly praised as a leader of consilience versed in engineering and civil service. Following the earlier merger of other ministries with MLTM, he has done his excellent job as the first VM, so he was deemed as the right man to smoothly address the various pending issues including Four River Development Project, real estates and the move of civil service offices to Sejong City (starting this year). He has been displaying his best ability in sorting out MLTM’s most pressing problems of house shortage and of jumping house rental deposit on the strength of his diverse experiences of 30 years since 1979 in the fields of construction and transport. In an exclusive interview, Minister Kwon speak on his priorities and policy plans.

Could you please tell us your vision and policy directions for the future? Land and ocean have been the foundation for Korea's economic development, but in the future it needs to play a bigger role by being a quality place where a new culture can be created. For this reason, the following three qualities--the quality of land, the quality of its inhabitants, and the quality of the institutions on which the citizens and land are based--need to be harmonized. Going forward, in order to increase the competitiveness of the nation's land and ocean through region-specific development strategies, the following efforts will be made: ● Infrastructure such as road, railway, housing, water resources, and aviation, will be made more effective through expansion and rigorous maintenance, improving the landscape of the nation ● Also, new growth engines in the maritime sector will be cultivated through maritime tour promotion and marine resources development; while, ● Regulations pertinent to land will be streamlined to suit the convenience of the public, providing a more scenic and beautiful land environment to the public. Despite the recent cargo volume increases, the maritime industry is seeing revenue decreases; what are the government's measures to analyze the reasons for this and overcome this problem? The global maritime industry started experiencing a downturn from the second half of 2010 and this continued to 2011, reducing maritime fares. For instance, the BDI (Baltic Dry Index) on Nov. 3 was 1,817p, which is 42% of the five-year average; HRCI (Howe Robinson Container Index) on Nov. 2 was 556p, which is 64% of the five-year average. The cargo volumes, such as dry cargoes and containers, all increased but, the vessels are being oversupplied compared to the cargo volume, causing profitability erosion of maritime companies. The soon-to-be-delivered vessels account for 31%, in the case of container vessels and 41% in the case of dry cargo vessels, of the current number of vessels, respectively. The rapid oil price increase (36% increased year-on-year as of June, 2011) is eroding the profitability of companies by increasing their costs, as the fuel cost takes up 15-20% of the total costs for maritime companies. Due to the advanced countries' economic uncertainty stemming from the sovereign debt crisis of the US and Europe, the cargo volume increase is expected to slow down markedly going forward. As it seems difficult to overcome the maritime industry's economic woes in the short term, focusing on internal growth instead of external expansion should be more emphasized. First, industry-wide efforts, such as replacing old vessels, changing docks to benefit from lower fee offers, are essential; while, the government will closely consult with relevant agencies and review measures that can strengthen the foundation of the nation's vessel financing, such as expanding the guarantee scope of the vessel financing and extending operation of the KAMCO vessel funds. As of late October, 2011, 430 billion won of loan guarantees have been made to maritime companies. Restructuring Funds, which are the main funding resources for the KAMCO fund, will be maintained till the end of 2011 before being withdrawn. How is the Four Rivers Restoration Project progressing? In Korea, 70% of annual rainfall is concentrated in summer. As it causes frequent flood and drought, the government spends 3~4 trillion won every year for the recovery from flooding damages. Recent climate change is expected to cause more frequent flood and drought. In addition, investment in rivers is urgently needed as high level of economic development raised awareness about the importance of rivers and demand for using rivers and water-front areas. In the past, riverfront areas were used for farming or neglected. Pollutants accumulated downstream in waterfront farmlands and insufficient fresh water during dry seasons undermined river ecosystem. In order to prevent large-scale natural disasters occurred by climate change and improve the soundness and diversity of ecosystem by securing clean and sufficient water resources, Korea carried out the four major rivers restoration project. Neglected water-front areas turned into bicycle lanes and ecology parks where people enjoy cultural and leisure activities. The four major rivers restoration project that was initiated in 2009 is now 92% completed, and the main stream project is 92% completed. Especially, the main stream project will be completed on schedule by the end of this year. During implementation of the project, there was massive criticism from environmental groups about river dredging, etc. However, as the project is bringing fruitful outcome by securing abundant water resources and building bike paths and water-front parks, many citizens now support the project. In particular, although this summer recorded an unprecedented rainfall during the rainy season, there was no serious damage in the four rivers compared to the past. The Korean government's efforts of restoring the four major rivers, responding to climate change and improving ecosystem, will be a good example to Europe. The 1,592km-long bicycle path along the four rivers is the largest and the most beautiful lane in the world and is attracting many tourists who enjoy and give a positive response to the path. What is the reason for last year's yearly housing lease fees and what is the MLTM's plan to stabilize the housing market? The increase in Jeonse prices was mainly resulted from the imbalance between demand and supply of housing for Jeonse and monthly rent. The global financial crisis in 2008 reduced housing supply was reduced since the housing construction market significantly shrank and raised controversy whether or not to abolish the housing-price-capsystem. * Annual authorization and permission for housing construction - (’05) 46.4→(’06) 47.0→(’07) 55.6→(’08) 37.1→(’09) 38.2→(’10) 38.7 Also, stabilized housing price and the increase in redevelopment·housing reconstruction and people's migration increased demand for Jeonse rather than housing sale·purchase. The Korean government will make continuous efforts to stabilize citizens' residence and housing prices. Considering the shortage of housing quantity and quality, it will supply around 400 thousand houses every year as Korea falls short of housing quantity and quality. In addition, the government is trying to diversify housing types and ease regulation in response to changes in demography and family structure due to increasing single and two-person families, low birth rate and aging population, and changes in housing market structure including increased demand for housing for monthly rent. * single, two-person family (%) : (‘90) 22.8 →(’00) 34.6→(’10) 48.1→ (’20) 57.7 * household of aged family members(%) : (‘90) 8.5→(’00) 12.1→(’10) 17.9 →(’20) 22.7 It will also develop and implement a housing policy fit for generation and social class to supply customized housing for new university graduates, middle aged and elderly people, etc. What is the role of the MLTM in carrying out the Korean government's green growth strategies? MLTM is carrying out an important mission of taking care of land, city, housing, transportation, and maritime affairs essential to life of all citizens, and is therefore in a crucial position to lead the way for greenhouse gas reduction and green growth in Korea. Thus, MLTM is pursuing a green growth policy based on the vision of "Creating Low Carbon Green Land and Ocean." At the same time, MLTM is contributing to the alleviation of climate change damages by reducing greenhouse gases, carrying out projects aimed at increasing the adaptation level against climate change, cultivating new economic growth engines such as green technologies and industries, and providing assistance to under-developed countries in the green technology field. First, in the greenhouse gas reduction category, Buildings and transportation, which take up approx. 42% of Korea's greenhouse gas emissions, are being transformed through diverse projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as revision of regulations, demand volume management, and subsidies; in particular, the President's pledge to "reduce 30% of Korea's greenhouse gases compared to BAU by 2020" is being on track to be accomplished as the government set a goal of reducing 26.9% and 34.3% of greenhouse gases in buildings and transportation sectors, respectively, implementing relevant measures. Second, in the climate change adaptation category, for the purpose of reducing damages from extreme weather conditions like floods and droughts, the Four Rivers, stream maintenance, dam construction, and sea water desalination projects are being implemented, while other programs such as maritime observation network establishment, coastal region vulnerability assessment and maintenance are underway. Lastly, in order to create new growth engines based on green technologies MLTM is focusing its efforts on securing maritime energy using solar, tidal, algae, and wave power, cultivating renewable energy like maritime bio diesel, developing various architecture technologies for saving energy, and maintaining an IT-based efficient energy management system. MLTM will do its utmost to minimize life and property damage from natural disasters caused by abnormal weather conditions by making constant development of technologies and seeking global cooperation; in particular, it will actively contribute to increasing the quality of life for all humanity on earth by carrying out its green technology support projects. Any additional comments to the European FDI companies in Korea? The Korean government is developing high potential, investment-worthy future growth centers, such as Sejong City, Innovation City, Enterprise City, Saemangeum, six Free Economic Zones and Jeju Free International City. These centers will emerge as the country's economic growth drivers; investment made in the cities will bring about benefits not just to the concerned cities themselves but also to the investment companies. The government is striving to create a conducive environment for FDI companies for their investment and business activities, by providing tax benefits, subsidies, and lease fee reductions. It is hoped that these projects will draw more attention in the years ahead *************** Current FDI company assistance system overview - Cash assistance: if 20 or more staff are hired, education and training subsidies and employment subsidies are provided - Lease fee reduction: when leasing a government-owned land, the fees will be reduced by 50-100% - Tax reductions: (1) National tax (corporate tax, income tax) ▪ High tech industry assistance companies in open FDI areas: 100% for 5 years, 50% for 2 years ▪ Complex-style FDI areas: 100% for 3 years, 50% for 2 years (2) Regional tax (acquisition tax, property tax) ▪ According to relevant ordinances, up to 15 years can be applied ***************

Read more »

Interview: Mr. Jean-Luc Valerio, President, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) Korea

A French National, Mr. Jean-Luc Valerio is President of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) Korea, and has been in the country since February 2007. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programs from Ariane to Galileo. In 2010, the Group’s 10th anniversary year, it generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of some 122,000. Before relocating to Korea, Mr. Valerio was Senior Vice-President, EADS International-China, and also Head of Singapore Office of EADS International. An aeronautical engineering, he graduated from the French Air Force Academy (Ecole de l’Air) and also has a military pilot licence. “I have been here in Korea for four and a half years now, having arrived in February 2007. Over the past 17 years I have worked mainly in Asia, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, China and now Korea. Japan is the only country in this region that I haven’t worked in,” he said. Speaking on the business operations of his company, Mr. Valerio noted that EADS has had an average 500 million euro turnover over the last 5 years, and the major part is the sale of Airbus planes to the two national carriers Korean Air and Asiana : the other part being helicopter and Satellites. We are now targeting to introduce our combat jet (the Eurofighter) and some missile systems. In January this year, Asiana Airlines placed an order for six A380s, even as Korean air already started operating the superjumbo jets. Korean Air’s second Airbus A380 started operating long-distance routes from Aug. 9 on the Incheon-New York corridor. The first A380 made its debut on June 6 and is currently employed for the Incheon-Tokyo and Incheon-Hong Kong routes. The airline will take possession of a total of fiveA380s by the end of this year for its Paris and Los Angeles routes. In fact, according to the company’s estimates, Korea would account for around 3.6 percent of the 8,014 aircraft that will be ordered from the Asian region over the next 20 years. Korean orders would amount to around $55 billion out the $1.18 trillion that Asia is expected to spend on aircraft during this period. Another lucrative business section is the defense sector. In fact, it was on his watch that EADS was able to break the stranglehold of US defense companies in the country, with the signing of an MOU, with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on October 18th, 2007, to create a Joint Venture Company for the worldwide sales and marketing of the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH). The project is aimed at producing hundreds of helicopters to replace the aging UH-1H Hueys currently in service. Not only is KUH being built on Eurocopter's latest technology to be used domestically, but is also aimed for exports into the global market, starting next year. While test flights have already been conducted, mass production will begin in March 2012, and full-scale production in June 2012. In July this year, the company also announced a multi-million euro contract from Korean Aircraft Industries to supply 24 of its AN/AAR-60 MILDS missile warning systems, with deliveries continuing until 2013. Each system uses about 4 passive sensors, which detect the ultraviolet radiation signature of approaching missiles. As for the space sector, the Astrium-built multi-mission Communications, Oceanography and Meteorology Satellite (COMS) was officially handed over to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in August this year. Astrium was contracted by KARI, to design and manufacture the country’s first multifunctional geostationary satellite, COMS, and was launched by Ariane 5 on 26 June 2010. A veritable ‘Swiss Army knife’ of a satellite, COMS is the first three-axis stabilised geostationary observation satellite developed and manufactured by a European company to carry three payloads dedicated to meteorology applications, ocean observation and telecommunications. The handover follows in-orbit acceptance of the satellite, which was successfully completed on March 17th, 2011. He said that his company continues to see strong business prospects in Korea in all the three segments. The advantage of being in Korea is that the relationships are quite regulated and one knows what they have to deal with. This is mostly true for all democracies. For that matter, EADS has been very successful in Asia, with the region accounting for 25 percent of the global sales. Asia Pacific is an important region for the EADS Group. China and India, in particular, show huge market potential, while Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam also offer significant opportunities, he said. Speaking on his role as new president of EUCCK, Mr. Valerio said he was proud and honored to be given this opportunity. In his acceptance speech at the EGM, he had pointed out three reasons for applying to run for presidency: one, to continue and build on the accomplishments achieved by Mr. Hurtiger; second, to advocate the interests of EUCCK members and improve the business environment for EU companies in Korea; and finally to promote European culture and values to Korean authorities and the local business community. He emphasized that his working experience had reinforced the commitment to European values, such as teamwork and creativity. He encouraged EUCCK members to be proud of promoting European history to their Korean counterparts. Even though Europe was currently exposed to harsh economic developments, this crisis would in retrospect prove merely to be a historical anecdote. The new EUCCK President promised to consult and work together with different stakeholder to create a positive business environment for European companies in Korea. “I have always been a pro-European and believe that Europe is stronger by being united. I do believe that differences in diversities are a positive aspect. Many see it as a liability, but I consider it as an asset and in the end the richness of different cultures will prevail,” he said. He noted that his priorities as Chamber Head will be to make sure that the Korean government is respecting their meaningful choice to open the borders to EU products, with the FTA, and there will not be any new regulation to hamper fair activity. “I will make sure that we have all the wonderful resources of business communities to create an environment for small and medium enterprises to get better access and understanding of the Korean market.” In his message to all EUCCK members, Mr. Valerio noted that even as the EU is going through the sovereign debt crisis, everyone has to keep their optimism, and not to reduce their pace or confidence in business. “We cannot be disturbed by something that will be overcome, and must be as active in promoting and innovative to prepare for exit of this crisis,” he said.

Read more »

Interview: Mr. Kim Byung-soo, Director General, Foreign Investor Support Office, InvestKorea

Invest KOREA (IK), Korea's national investment promotion agency, was established within the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) with the sole purpose of supporting the entry and successful establishment of foreign business into Korea. With assistance extending to comprehensive post-establishment services, IK enables foreign corporations to maximize the benefits of the Korean investment environment to ensure their rapid settlement in Korea. The agency is committed to providing unmatched, comprehensive one-stop service that allows foreign investors to join many of the world's most successful corporations who have selected Korea as an investment destination and been rewarded by high returns on the investment. The new head of the Foreign Investor Support Office in the investment promotion agency, Invest Korea, is not only experienced and proactive, but is also full of fresh ideas to help investors. As noted by Mr. Kim Byung-soo, Director General, Foreign Investor Support Office, the agency attracts foreign investment by identifying potential foreign investors, supporting investment projects, providing aftercare services for foreign investors, and building a cooperative network with related organizations. Prior to heading the office in January this year, Mr. Kim was with the Ministry of Knowledge Economy as Director, Foreign Investment Policy Division. This Division comes under the authority of the Vice Minister for Trade & Energy in MKE. It is more like a back office of foreign investment related issues. “My main role in MKE was to provide all the logistics support for needed for the implementation of the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. This Act aims to encourage foreign investment through deregulation by providing tax incentives and financial assistance; deals with foreign investment and technology, and introduces a reporting system with regard to foreign investment in Korea. However, now my main job is to implement these very same policies,” he said. In a sense, this gives him the opportunity to deal directly with foreign investors and know their problems. While trying to solve the problems faced by investors, he has to sometimes deal with uncooperative officials in various ministries and local governments. But that has not stopped him from giving his 100 percent to the job, even at the risk of “begging” lower rank officials to help foreign investors. “For me, FDI does not refer to Foreign Direct Investment. Rather, it is Frontier Development Initiative and going even further, Friendship Development Intiative. It is very important to develop friendly relations with investors inorder to understand their problems to solve them,” he said. Since relocating to Invest Korea, he has made it a point to visit the various industrial sites which have a high proportion of foreign investors, to meet with them and understand the difficulties that they may be facing. He has also been going on invesment promotion trips abroad to meet potential investors. “One has to be proactive and meet foreign investors to anticipate what problems they may face. I do not like to wait for them to come to me with their problems, but want to solve them before they become big issues.” Recalling some of the notable cases that he has encountered so far, he said that Scania Korea and Edwards Korea faced some ‘unsolvable’ difficulties. But, after persisting with the various government departments, he was able to make a breakthrough. Speaking on the main objectives of the Foreign Investor Support Office, he said the investment promotion and support capability has been considerably strengthened by the introduction of the Project Manager (PM) system, under which a PM is designated for each investment project to offer customized support throughout its entirety, from providing investment consultation and obtaining licenses and approvals to actually launching a business. “In addition to the project managers, we have a pool of experts in such fields as finance, tax, law, securities, accounting, and construction to smooth the foreign investment process and ensure that investors claim the full range of benefits available,” he said. The office provides support throughout each stage of the investment project, from international promotion of Korea's image and identification of target companies to delivery of customized assistance ranging from research and planning to implementation. The agency also provides substantive feedback from investors to policymakers in order to constantly improve the investment environment. “The range of services we offer has been significantly enhanced following the opening of the Investor Consulting Center (ICC) within Invest Korea Plaza. The center provides information and assistance on a variety of matters relating to foreign investment and daily living in Korea, from selecting plant sites and forging alliances with Korean partners, to education and accommodation.” Additional business-related assistance are provided by officials seconded from the Ministry of Justice, the National Tax Service, the Korea Customs Office, and the courts of law, all of whom offer a broad range of administrative support and respond to complaints made by foreign investors. “I prefer to call this center as Inter Cultural Communication since we provide one-stop consulting services free of charge to foreigners who wish to invest in Korea.The services include pre-investment market research, administrative support, and settlement assistance, for the successful establishment of business in Korea.” The center is staffed by consultants, comprising private-sector experts recruited from key investment-related fields, and civil servants seconded from other major government agencies and ministries, in order to provide systematic and professional consultation services. At the ICC, investors can receive one-on-one consultations on taxation, accounting, and law in the beginning of an investment, and receive administrative assistance directly from government officials for visa application, certification of the completion of investment in kind, and business registration. The center also provides personalized life settlement consultations and a one-day, on-site assistance to help investors settle successfully in Korea. “My main role is to help the foreign investors and I am satisfied only if they do not face any problems while doing business in Korea,” he said.

Read more »