Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

By Don Southerton, BCW Editor Each year as Christmas nears, I recall American missionary and physician  Lillias Horton Underwood describing introducing western Christmas traditions to the Korean royal court and monarchy. I included the story in one of my historic novels, " A Yankee In the Land of the Morning Calm: A Historical Novel." Victorian-era  Christmas Tree  Page 53 Since the mid 1880s, Anglo merchants, diplomats, and missionaries who lived and worked in Korea celebrated their respective national and religious holidays. Most often these were small affairs as there were few foreigners dwelling in Korea-most Anglos were concentrated in the port towns and Seoul. Naturally some Koreans were curious of these strange western ceremonies and started asking questions, especially about Christmas. The Korean royal family was no exception. In December 1893, King Kojong and his wife Queen Min became very curious about the ho...

As noted....With the year end, Korean Groups are finalizing annual end of year reporting, restructuring, promotions, and new assignments.  Some Korean team members already have begun to share news of the re-assignments, others will find out in the coming days.  Meanwhile expect some change both at senior leadership and across the teams.  Those receiving promotions should be congratulated--promotions bring considerable status along with a boost in wages. On a more personal level... As the holidays approach, you may wish to greet Korean colleagues with: Sae hae bok man i ba deu say yo! (Seasons Greetings) Hint: Break the greeting into: sae hae bok—mahne—bah deu say yo Sae hae bok man i ba deu say yo! works well both in person, in a card, or an email. It is a common seasonal greeting actually good into the New Year. If you have a specific questions, f eel free to contact   dsoutherton@bridgingculture.com     1-310-866-3777 ...

By Don Southerton, BCW Editor We provide both strategy and support for bringing brands to Korea, and Korean brands to the US and the international market.  This Case Study shares a snapshot of some of our recent work in progress. For more details, please just email us or schedule a time for a call   Dsoutherton@bridgingculture.com ###