Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

Here's your Korea Starbucks update... note how they mention Lotte who is Shinsegae's top competition in retail. Lotte also has has the Krispy Kreme franchise in K, while Shinsegae holds the Starbucks' franchise. Huge coffee shop competition is brewing in Korea. More significant, is how Korea is the test market for many new products. I'm headed to Korea in a week and will give the new drink a try:) Korea Herald notes.. Starbucks Corp. will soon be offering a taste of Korea in 10 countries with the launch of the Red Bean Frappuccino, its Korean unit said yesterday. About 2,100 Starbucks stores in 10 countries, including Korea, will be featuring the red bean-based icy drink, a suggestion proposed by Starbucks Korea, and the second one, after the Green Tea Latte, from the Korean unit to make the leap. The Red Bean Frappuccino will be available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia from June 1 to mid-July. The new blend wi...

Good News. The sequel to a my historical novel, A Yankee in the Land of the Morning Calm is nearing completion. The novel follows a Connecticuit-born Yankee's adventures in Korea during the last years of the nineteenth century. The sequel finds the main character Josh involved in American-led gold mining, rail, and streetcar concessions. Rooted in actual events of the period, the novel provides deep insights to the social, political, and economic dynamics of the era. Here's a preview from A Yankee in the Land of the Morning Calm--Gold and Rail (From Chapter 2...Josh after a few months back in Connecticuit returns to Korea). Dense fog covered much of the wharf as Josh and Hunt steamed out of the bay. Near shore, scores of sea lions barked, while gulls and terns overhead squawked. Better prepared for the Pacific voyage than his first trip five years earlier, Josh hoped to spend time developing skills at cartography or map making. The Yankee reasoned his sketching skills would pr...

A 1962 Korean Sae Nara I found this history on the very early years of the Korean car industry informative. It's written by Andrei Lankov, a Russian born historiam teaching in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Lankov is an aquaintance, I respect. When we compare these early models with the current cars, SUVs, and vans produced by Hyundai and Kia, we begin to see how far the Korean car industry has come in 50 years. BTW I've also added a few relevant comments in the text. Dr. Lankov notes... When in October 1955 crowds of Koreans came to see the Industrial Exhibition in Seoul, their attention was grabbed by a boxy blue car which looked more or less like a military Jeep, so ubiquitous in the Korea of those days. Indeed, it was a Jeep, but quite a special one. This car was locally assembled and some of its parts were produced in Korea. This was seen as a beginning of the Korean automotive industry, and the car itself was not known the Sibal (Start) for nothing. But Sibal did not stay in product...

One of Korea's traditional holidays is Buddha's Birthday. Although only about 1/3 the South Korean population is Buddhist, many celebrate the event. It's a legal holiday. This year it's on Thursday May 24, so many will take Friday off, too, making it a long weekend. So what's happening in Seoul...lots! First colorful lotus lanterns are everywhere. They are lit along some roads in the evening, illuminating a city center walk ahead of the Buddha's birthday. The festivities peak this weekend with a lotus lantern festival prepared by Buddhist groups. Some events include: ◆ In front of the Joggye Temple (downtown Seoul). The temple been newly renovated. This Sunday, the streets between the Jogye Temple in Anguk-dong and the Jonggak subway station junction will turn into a festival site. From noon till 6 p.m., they will see a Buddhist culture festival. It has been held since 1999 with the aim to introduce Korean Buddhism to foreign visitors. Visitors can join various...

Once again, I'm drawn to a topic I watch carefully...Korean Consumerism...along with that I'm a fan of Seth Godin, Starbucks, and Krispy Kreme. Consumerism in Korea is changing...much due to strong competition, globalization, and the introduction of new thinking--like the customer experience. Starbucks and Krispy Kreme are huge in Korea, I attribute this to their strong customer experience. For example, one only has to visit Krispy Kreme in Myongdong on a Sunday or their location in the Lotte Downtown Department store. (BTW Lottte has the master franchise for KK in Korea, it's rival Shinsegae operates Starbucks Korea). This article in Korea Herald highlights Customer Experience... The writer, Hwang Hye-jeong notes, In his book "Purple Cow," marketing expert Seth Godin says that there are two kinds of people in the world: Those who think that they are familiar with the legend of "Krispy Kreme Donuts" and those living in a neighborhood not exposed to the d...

I'm a huge fan of eBooks...all of my books are available in both Paperback and PDF formats. In fact, I've written an additional book available only in eBook format. (see my web site http://www.bridgingculture.com for more info). Anyway, South Korea's KTF is now offering eBook (they call them U-Book) as a download to mobile phone users... This makes sense in Korea, where most people have long commutes by bus, subway, and train... Korea Herald KTF Co., the nation's second-largest mobile operator, will today begin a new electronic book service, along with the nation's largest e-book solution provider Booktopia. Dubbed U-Book, short for ubiquitous books, the new service allows users to browse and read books on digital gadgets such as mobile handsets, PCs and PDAs. Ubiquitous here means one can have access to e-books anywhere, anytime. "This is the first of its kind as e-book users in the past had to purchase a new e-book title if they wanted to view the book on a ...

Recommended Reading... A frequent BCW request is to recommend books on Korea and its culture. Understanding Korean culture is a vital step in comprehending its business culture and the roots of Korean norms and common practices. I’ve authored several books that will give you and your team some background on Korea’s recent past. In fact, my focus is early Western influence in Korea, although I write on popular Korean culture, too. Book Descriptions Book 1 Click here for link Intrepid Americans: Bold Koreans―Early Korean Trade, Concessions, And Entrepreneurship is a fascinating study of noteworthy interactions and significant events in the early development of U.S.-Korean relations. With relevancy in looking at contemporary South Korea, the reader will gain an understanding into how radically Korea’s economy has transformed over the last century. This book provides captivating insights into the birth of modern South Korean entrepreneurialism and commerce. These glimpses presented throug...

Insights into Korean consumerism I found this article fascinating and confirming what I see occurring in Korea. In my training programs, both in the U.S. and globally, one popular question in the role of women in the Korean workplace. Although the Korean workplace once saw women as "temporary" workers, who leave upon marriage--today many seek long-term careers. Who are this new generation of Korean women? Some of my Korean friends call them K women; others call them Doenjang (bean paste) girls--both terms somewhat derogatory. For the group of highly qualified and professional woman grads I find entering the Korean workplace, I see many as Alpha girls. In fact, this trend comes as no surprise to me, since in my experience in academia, the women grad students are more focused and very career focused---more so than the guys. This article in Chosun Ilbo looks at their role in Korean consumerism....and gives us some insights into Korean popular culture. The term "alpha girls...