Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

Korea as a first mover could be a model for best practices in maintaining the industrial workforce and preserving jobs . South Korea: A Roadmap to COVID-19 Economic Recovery — Industry and Automotive Apr 27, 2020 In this second segment COVID-19 recovery series, following up on  the first , we look at how Korea as a first-mover could be a model for best practices in maintaining the industrial workforce and preserving jobs. Like most of the world, government intervention is the cornerstone of South Korea’s recovery. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has announced a massive relief package worth billions for South Korea’s key industries disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Preventing layoffs and creating jobs have become the top priorities for the government. The funds are meant to help them weather the crisis, which the Korean president characterized as the worst since the 1997 IMF financial meltdown, and to help maintain employment. Moon also unveiled a...

Global coverage for my article on COVID-19 and South Korea as a First Mover in economic recovery. https://www.brandinginasia.com/south-korea-a-roadmap-to-covid-19-economic-recovery/ For many weathering stay at home and a remote office, how businesses will return to work weighs heavy on the minds of governments, employers, and workers worldwide. It’s a delicate balance between staying safe and an urgent need to re-open commerce. For an economic recovery, South Korea could be a glimpse into future best practices. The world has been watching and, in some cases, following as South Korea benefits from its social distancing guidelines, technology-powered testing, tracing and treatment, as well as measures to utilize data in fighting the virus. How South Korea tackles rebooting their economy will also be closely followed — as Asia’s fourth-largest economy, it is considered a bellwether for world trade. As a trial, in their recent election, South Koreans turned out in ...

With millions of people sheltering in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the cloud computing market is getting a serious usage boost. Schools, corporations, and individuals are using cloud-based software to learn, collaborate, and stay connected. The pandemic is changing the way the world operates, including how we work. A significant number of companies deemed non-essential have transitioned to remote work environments to remain in operation, using cloud-based software to collaborate and work. At the same time, a large segment of the population is practicing social distancing and turning to virtual tools to stay connected. That demand for cloud-based services isn’t going to go away anytime soon, even if cities begin easing social distancing rules in the coming weeks or months. One attractive alternative to Microsoft 365, is Korea’s Hancom suite of productive software. The company in business since 1990 offers a number of Cloud-based products, including Hancom Space ...

SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean IT solution providers are introducing various artificial-intelligence (AI)-based solutions to help the country's fight against the novel coronavirus, industry insiders said Thursday. Hancom Group, South Korea's leading software developer, said it has been offering an AI-powered phone calling system, known as Hancom AI Check25, for free to help local municipalities monitor those in self-quarantine.   The outbound call system asks people about their health conditions and can quickly analyze data from their answers. Its AI voice assistants can make many phone calls at once, allowing authorities to save time and check quarantined people efficiently.   The AI call center platform is currently used by cities, like Seoul and Daegu. Hancom said Naver Business Platform Corp., an IT infrastructure management firm, is also supporting systems by proving cloud infrastructure. In the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, South K...

Hancom places 87 th  by Korean brand valuation company  SEONGNAM, South Korea—April 6, 2020  South Korea  Hancom has placed 87 th  in the BrandStock “Top 100 Korean Brands,” for Q1 2020.  The “Top 100 Korean Brands” are selected by Brand Stock, a Korean brand valuation company. The ranking is based on the BrandStock Top Index (BSTI). The brand value certification model combines a consumer survey index with the BrandStock stock index—a simulation that looks at 1,000 traded brands.  Hancom’s top 100 ranking comes in part due to “Hancom Office,” the brand’s office software suite which has competed in the local market with Microsoft Office for about three decades. Hancom has maintained a market share of about 30 percent in the Korean domestic office software market.  More recently, and through several business partnerships in overseas markets “Hancom Office” has gained a strong presence as an alternative to MS Office.  ...