Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

By Don Southerton   As I have shared, last year’s CES was all about AI buzz and brand framing; for many, AI was an attention-grabber. Some brands were genuinely about AI, while many tagged AI onto their descriptions.   See   https://www.brandinginasia.com/ces-2025-yes-it-was-all-about-ai/     For decades, the Show has been about consumer goods, and it still is, although drones and robotics have captured my attention in recent years. I am curious about what this year holds.      Personally, I am interested in Hyundai .     In particular, the Hyundai Motor Group plans to present its next-generation electric Atlas robot for the first time as a primary example of its AI robotics strategy.   Atlas is a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics Inc., its robotics affiliate.   https://pulse.mk.co.kr/news/english/11504851     Main Shift: From AI Hype to AI Implementation " Agentic AI " (autonomous systems that ac...

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Don't Wait Until January: Why Your Korea Strategy Needs Attention Now. Getting Ahead in 2026: Leveraging Korea's Year-End Work Cycle   Overseas Korean companies’ teams indeed go into holiday mode, plants close for routine annual end-of-year maintenance, offices shut down, and employees take vacations.   In Korea, we observe restructuring, end-of-year team meetings, annual reports to Leadership, and some members taking on new assignments.   That said, we should be aware that most Korean expats still go to work every day…   In fact, I recall meeting with senior leadership on December 31, the HQ parking lot and building halls were empty, except for the Korean CEO and most of the expats.    Moreover, throughout the morning, newly assigned Korean expats came to the CEO’s office to introduce themselves, and colleagues joined them.   My advice is to establish a strategy “now,” so we can get a jumpstart for early 2026--the Korean teams will be ready.   ...