Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

  CES 2026 Korea-Exclusive Support Time running out, act now. Maximize your CES 2026 impact with dedicated pre-show, on-site, and post-show support exclusively for Korean brands , government agencies, and startups. Our Services •   Pre & Post-Show Promotion and PR - Build momentum before the show and sustain it after. •   Media Support - Strategic media outreach and relationship management •   Client Relations - Connect with new customers. Successfully supported Korean clients at CES 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025 with measurable results in media coverage, customer acquisition, and partnership development. Why Work With Us •   Korea-exclusive focus - We understand your market and culture •   Deep CES experience - Proven success across multiple years •   Dedicated to excellence - Elevating Korean innovation on the global stage Take Action I have only a few slots remaining for the CES January 2026 Show. Dsoutherton@bridgingculture.com Text or Call +1-...

  Limited Slots Available Maximize your CES 2026 impact with dedicated pre-show, on-site, and post-show support exclusively for Korean brands, government agencies, and startups. Our Services •         Pre & Post-Show Promotion and PR  - Build momentum before the show and sustain it after •         Media Support  - Strategic media outreach and relationship management •         Client Relations  - Connect with new customers and forge valuable partnerships Proven Track Record Successfully supported Korean clients at CES 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025 with measurable results in media coverage, customer acquisition, and partnership development. Why Work With Us •         Korea-exclusive focus  - We understand your market and culture •         Deep CES experience  - Proven success across mul...

  In Part 1, I shared some insights into how best to ensure projects stay on track amid change from outside of our control. If you haven’t had time to check out, please do… In this Executive Briefing, I will discuss how even the best laid plans can get blindsided. In a conversation with an industry veteran and longtime Western executive for a major Korean Group , we were concerned that a new global hire may be a poor fit.     In particular, in the person’s attitude--at least to being open to Korean business norms and practices as well as advice given to them on how to work within the system. My friend commented that the hire, who was very confident in their position, close-minded, and had their own way of doing things, would never see their demise in coming and be blindsided.    Stepping back, as I mentioned in the last Executive Briefing, my experience is that savvy Korean management has “eyes in the back of their head,” little gets by them, and they take muc...

  Que stion?   Don, working with Korea, how can we ensure projects stay on track amid what can be change from outside of our control ?    Answer. Great question. I will answer in two parts, in this posting, Part 1 To elaborate… Pondering on the question, it made me reflect on the Korean workplace, where the most savvy, long-term staff and executives are both highly intuitive, sensitive, and vigilant to all that goes on around them.    They read situations and adapt accordingly. Little gets by them. In particular, they even anticipate senior leadership’s next moves. More so, without such a skill set, few ever get to an executive level. As a best practice, they also plan accordingly with countermeasures in place for all projects.    In Korean, we call this  miri miri …(Pronounced me re me re). It can be translated as preparing ahead of time and in advance. It is in contrast to doing things at the last minute and then having to go  bal...

  My work focuses on South Korean culture , so I am tracking the trend of Hollywood directors remaking foreign films, including Korean cult classics , most with varying degrees of critical and commercial success.   On my radar is  Bugonia , Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos 's adaptation of the 2003 Korean film  Save the Green Planet .   Bugonia’s   Halloween Eve opening night was the perfect macabre treat.   In both stories, a paranoid young man becomes convinced that aliens from Andromeda are living among humans and, in his mind, plotting to destroy Earth and the bees. He believes these aliens are disguised as powerful businessmen and corporate executives, and claims that their toxic chemicals are killing the bees.   Bugonia translates as "ox birth," referring to an ancient belief that bees could spontaneously generate from the carcass of a dead ox or bull.   The term comes from Ancient Greek and is mentioned in texts like Virgil's ...