Strategy and creative agency Inner Chapter has released new research examining youth culture in South Korea.
Drawing on insights from recent client projects in luxury and leisure, as well as a webinar with travel and media experts, the findings highlight shifting values, behaviors, and cultural trends among young people.
The research explores evolving tastes in music and media, the blending of subcultures with the mainstream, the rise of analogue nostalgia and pop-up culture, shifting patterns in youth travel, and the growing synchronization of trends across regions and diasporas.
The report also includes the latest wave of Inner Chapter’s youth survey, which tracks changes in attitudes and lifestyles across key sectors among 1,000 respondents aged 15–29 in South Korea, with additional perspectives from China and the United States, where the consultancy also has studios.
Highlights from the research into music, media, and travel
While K-pop is the most recognizable global cultural export from Korea, and US cultural influence from R&B and Hip-hop remains visible in entertainment and fashion – there is much more to the Korean music scene.
“Korean youth are omni-platform, highly visual consumers. They don’t just consume content—they remix it, adapt it, and rapidly form micro-communities around it,” said Creative Producer Selena Seoyoung Kim.
Why Your Team’s Korean Global Strategy Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)
A major US tech company just lost a $15 million Korean partnership. The reason? Their entire team missed critical cultural protocols during a virtual presentation with Samsung executives.
Sound familiar? Your team might have the best product, strongest financials, and solid strategy—but without Korean cultural intelligence, you’re competing with one hand tied behind your back.
The gap US and Global teams face
Misreading hierarchy dynamics in Korean and Global corporations
Ineffective communication styles that damage relationships
Accelerate Your Korean Business Expertise with Our Business Mastery Program and what You’ll Gain: Transform your approach to Global Korean business with insider knowledge of cultural nuances, market dynamics, and relationship-building strategies. Stay current with how global trends shape Korea’s rapidly evolving landscape while developing practical skills for successful stakeholder partnerships.
The Accelerate Your Korean Business Expertise with Our Business Mastery Program Course Experience: 6 weeks of interactive virtual sessions led by Business Expert Don Southerton, featuring live Q&A, tailored discussions, and real-world case studies. Flexible scheduling arranged post-registration to accommodate your professional commitments.
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Why do some companies thrive, while others struggle despite superior products? The difference is cultural intelligence.
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Korea’s $1.8 trillion economy presents incredible opportunities—but only for those who understand the market.
Our comprehensive Korean Business Mastery Program equips professionals with the cultural intelligence and strategic insights needed to thrive.
Perfect for:
• Professionals entering Korean markets
• Teams managing Korea partnerships
What’s Included in the Korean Business Mastery Program: Deep dive into Korean business etiquette, negotiation styles, and decision-making processes. Learn to navigate hierarchy, build trust with Korean partners, and adapt your communication style for maximum impact. Stay ahead with insights on how geopolitical and economic trends influence Korean business landscapes.
Limited-Time Investment: $795 (50% off regular $1,595 pricing)
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Start immediately upon registration and begin building the expertise that sets you apart in one of Asia’s most important markets.
Accelerate Your Korean Business Expertiseandwhat you’ll gain: Transform your approach to Korean business with insider knowledge of cultural nuances, market dynamics, and relationship-building strategies. Stay current with how global trends shape Korea’s rapidly evolving landscape while developing practical skills for successful stakeholder partnerships.
Course Experience: Six weeks of interactive virtual sessions featuring live Q&A, tailored discussions, and real-world case studies. Flexible scheduling arranged post-registration to accommodate your professional commitments.
Accelerate Your Korean Business Expertise Whether you’re a new hire, working on Korea-focused projects, or an experienced professional expanding your market reach, this intensive program delivers actionable insights for immediate application.
Over the past week, I’ve shared 7 insights from my new book, Korean Business: Challenges and Solutions – 25 Workplace Hints for 2025 by Don Southerton
We covered: 1️⃣ Why hierarchy matters in decision-making 2️⃣ How to read between the lines 3️⃣ Building trust before business 4️⃣ Speed vs. consensus 5️⃣ The role of silence 6️⃣ Why titles open doors 7️⃣ Why flexibility wins
Each of these hints reflects real-world lessons from over two decades of advising global companies, executives, and government leaders on Korea-facing business.
✨ These are just 7 of the 25 strategies I share in my book. 📌 If your organization is navigating Korea’s dynamic business environment—or preparing for global partnerships—let’s connect. I provide consulting, briefings, and actionable strategies to help you succeed.
Thank you for following along with this series! Missed a Hint just let me know.
I’m Don Southerton, and for over two decades I’ve advised executives, teams, and organizations navigating the complexities of Korean global business.
With the release of my newest book, Korean Business: Challenges and Solutions – 25 Workplace Hints for 2025, I’ll be sharing a special 7-part Mini-Series.
Each post will highlight a practical, real-world “hint” to help leaders and teams succeed in Korea-facing business—from decision-making and hierarchy to trust-building and cultural nuances.
Follow along in the coming days for exclusive insights from my book.
Hint #1 – Why Hierarchy Matters More Than You Think
In Korean business, hierarchy shapes decision-making. Decisions often cascade from the top down, and knowing who holds real authority is critical.
If you bypass rank, even unintentionally, you risk stalling a project—or losing credibility. Successful executives frame ideas in ways that align with senior leadership first.
This isn’t about formality—it’s about understanding how respect and authority drive business outcomes.
From my new book: Korean Business: Challenges and Solutions – 25 Workplace Hints for 2025
I’m Don Southerton, and for over two decades, I’ve advised executives, teams, and organizations navigating the complexities of Korean global business.
With the release of my newest book, Korean Business: Challenges and Solutions — 25 Workplace Hints for 2025, I’ll be sharing a special 7-part Mini-Series.
Each post will highlight a practical, real-world “hint” to help leaders and teams succeed in Korea-facing business — from decision-making and hierarchy to trust-building and cultural nuances.
Follow along in the coming days for exclusive insights from my book.
Hint #1 — Why Hierarchy Matters More Than You Think
In Korean business, hierarchy shapes decision-making. Decisions often cascade from the top down, and knowing who holds real authority is critical.
If you bypass rank, even unintentionally, you risk stalling a project — or losing credibility.
Successful executives frame ideas in ways that align with senior leadership first.
This isn’t about formality — it’s about understanding how respect and authority drive business outcomes.
From my new book: Korean Business: Challenges and Solutions — 25 Workplace Hints for 2025
I am quoted and contributed to the article …. Don Southerton
KIM JAEWON and PAK YIU
September 11, 2025 12:16 JST
Updated on September 11, 2025 14:47 JST
SEOUL/NEW YORK — Moon Young-ju could not contain his anger when he heard the news that over 300 South Koreans had been detained after U.S. immigration authorities last week raided a joint Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery factory under construction in the state of Georgia.
The 54-year-old former merchant protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in downtown Seoul on Wednesday with a yellow banner reading: “Yankees go home. Get out america army.”
“I came here because I was so upset,” Moon said after lighting a cigarette. “We invested as they demanded. We built factories as they demanded. It’s our blood, sweat and tears.”
Moon is not alone. South Korea’s government faces widespread public outcry and calls to stand up to the U.S. over the treatment of its arrested citizens, some of whom were seen in footage being led away restrained by body chains, although the two sides have since agreed to send the detained workers home this week on a charter flight.
The raid came as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes ahead with a crackdown on illegal immigration even as he demands that countries like South Korea make massive investments to build state-of-the art production facilities in America — part of his policy of “reshoring” manufacturing and reducing trade deficits.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said at a news conference on Thursday that the raid would likely make some companies from his country “hesitant” to carry out more large investments in the U.S. “Companies are quite taken aback. The fact is that they sent these workers to the U.S. not for the long term, but to set up machinery in a factory because there aren’t enough workers in the U.S. who know how to do that,” he said.
The raid and the accompanying national indignation have pushed Seoul to demand that Washington loosen visa rules for workers from abroad amid confusion about the status of the detained.
Lee expressed hope that authorities in the two nations could negotiate changes to visa regulations that would make it easier for South Korean firms to send workers to the U.S. for limited periods.
The government dispatched Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to Washington. The ministry said that he had a meeting with U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio on Wednesday, asking the secretary of state to set up a new visa category for South Korean workers.
He also told Rubio that South Koreans were “hurt and shocked” by the arrests of their compatriots, who came to the U.S. to contribute to the revival of the country’s manufacturing industry.
After arriving on Tuesday, he hosted a meeting with executives from eight South Korean companies operating businesses in the U.S., including LG and Hyundai Motor.
Company executives asked the minister to bring up with the U.S. the potential launch of a separate visa under the E-4 category — which currently covers certain classes of special immigrants — for South Korean professionals, as well as increasing approvals of E-2 visas — which cover professionals with advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability — for South Korean companies investing in America. They also asked the U.S. government to clarify guidelines for B-1 visas, a short-term business visa that employees of South Korean companies get when they make work trips to the country. Many of the detained South Korean workers held such a visa.
Cho told the businesspeople that their concerns had already been conveyed to Washington and pledged to continue making efforts to ensure the smooth operation of South Korean companies investing in the U.S.
Moon Young-ju stands next to his protest banner near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Sept. 10. (Photo by Kim Jaewon)
South Korean companies complain that there is only a limited quota of B-1 visas, meaning they cannot get them when they need them.
“Sometimes we need to send our employees immediately,” said an industry source familiar with the issue, who also requested anonymity. “It’s not easy to set up a plan a year in advance. Many Korean companies raised this issue before. I’m very sorry that [the raid] happened before the problem was resolved.”
The incident has rattled Asian investors who have set up factories in the U.S. and highlights some of the labor difficulties foreign companies face. Companies are now wondering how they can set up and build manufacturing in the U.S. if they don’t have support from the authorities, said Don Southerton, a business consultant who works with South Korean companies such as Hyundai.
He anticipates some projects will slow down, and this will send ripples through America’s battery market. Southerton says the incident underscores the urgency of visa revisions that would allow expat engineers to work more effectively and streamline projects that will foster American manufacturing. Currently, he said, the visa system “allows them to teach how to use a screwdriver but doesn’t actually allow them to use a screwdriver. How can you show them how it’s done without actually demonstrating?”
On Monday, South Korea’s foreign minister said that resolving the visa issue is a precondition for the country to deliver the$150 billion in investments promised during a summit between the two allies last month.
“At the previous summit, there was a request for … [South] Korea’s large-scale investment, and we also responded to it. To achieve it, I would stress to the U.S. side that this visa issue is a precondition,” Cho told lawmakers before his trip to the U.S. capital.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said foreign companies were encouraged to legally bring “your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products.” He added, “We will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers.”
Analysts said that South Korea needs to use its investment package as leverage to pressure the Trump administration into reaching an agreement on the issue.
“Because there are already pledges of large-scale investment, it should be possible to solve the visa quota issue within that framework,” said Jung Jae-hwan, a professor of international politics and economy at Inha University in Incheon.
“Of course the U.S. could impose new conditions, such as a certain portion of local hires, but at least they should be able to mitigate the recurrence of this kind of detention case.”
I contributed to a Wall Street Journal article on last week’s immigration raid at the Hyundai plant in Georgia. Reporting continues.Don Southerton
The Trump administration wants tougher immigration enforcement. It also wants Asian manufacturing powerhouses to pour investment into U.S. factories.
Those goals are now clashing because Asian companies are having trouble getting enough work visas for personnel needed to get the U.S. plants running, say immigration specialists.
Last week, the contradiction was highlighted when the U.S. carried out an immigration raid in Georgia and arrested some 300 South Koreans helping to build a Hyundai Motor joint-venture battery plant.
Now the South Koreans are expected to head home soon under a diplomatic deal, and experts say it might take longer and cost more for Asian companies to build their U.S. factories without the specialists they need.
President Trump hinted at such concerns when he wrote on social media that his administration “will make it quickly and legally possible” for foreign investors “to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent to build World Class products.”
One cause of the issue is America’s shortage of skilled technical workers, which stems from a long-term decline in manufacturing employment and the offshoring of production. The U.S. lacks the workforce needed to support advanced industries such as semiconductors and biotechnology, according to a July report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
That is why it is common for hundreds of employees from the home country to descend on big project sites. Companies such as Hyundai and its battery-making partner, LG Energy Solution, often bring along the same contractors they work with at home. Around 250 of the roughly 300 South Koreans arrested worked for contractors, LG Energy said. Japan said Tuesday that three of its citizens working at the site were also detained.
The detainees largely held temporary visas suitable for short-term training and supervising purposes, such as the B-1 visa, and many were working at the site as instructors, according to South Korean officials. Some had arrived in the U.S. through a visa-waiver program that allows entry for up to 60 days for travel and certain limited business activities, they said.
Don Southerton, a consultant who has advised South Korean companies including Hyundai on operating in the U.S., said some Korean firms and their contractors in the past used visa-waiver programs for short-term travel or business visits without triggering scrutiny.
“I don’t think they ever had to worry about it,” he said. “And there has been so much encouragement for these plants to be” in the U.S., he said.
U.S. authorities said those arrested illegally crossed the border, entered through a visa waiver program that prohibited them from working or overstayed their visas.
Hyundai said it was reviewing its processes to ensure that its partners “maintain the high standards of legal compliance that we demand of ourselves.”
Other nonimmigrant employment visa types allow companies to bring in workers for longer periods, but they aren’t easy to get.
The H-1B visa lets companies operating in the U.S. hire foreign workers in specialty jobs such as tech and engineering. The annual cap recently has been under 100,000 visas.
The E-2 visa is designed for specialized workers at U.S. units of companies from regions with commerce treaties with the U.S., a category that includes Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. Approval standards have been getting tougher as applications surge in South Korea, whose firms are overseeing many large projects in the U.S., said Hong Chang-hwan, a lawyer at Seoul-based firm Kookmin Emigration who specializes in U.S. immigration matters.
“The U.S. might say such workers can be hired locally, but Korean firms say such talent is difficult to find and deploy quickly in a plant that you’re trying to get going on schedule,” he said.
In 2023, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing sought to bring in some 500 experienced workers to accelerate construction, igniting a protest by Arizona’s construction unions. TSMC said the workers were there only for short-term support, with no impact on local hiring.
South Korea’s trade and industry minister said last year that visa challenges have made it hard for many South Korean conglomerates to dispatch workers to the U.S. and increase investments there.
In July, Rep. Young Kim (R., Calif.) and others introduced a bill that would allot 15,000 visas for South Koreans with specialized education or expertise. The bill, proposed in varying versions over the past decade, hasn’t moved forward.
Similar visa categories have been created for countries such as Australia and Singapore through free-trade agreements. The U.S. grants more than 10,000 E-3 visas annually to Australian nationals in specialized fields, enabling them to work for up to two years in the U.S., renewable indefinitely.
Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who is now at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said South Korea pushed hard for special visas like those granted to Australia and Singapore when it negotiated its own free-trade deal with the U.S., which took effect in 2012. Seoul ultimately didn’t get them, although it did get included in the visa-waiver program.With investment a U.S. priority, “a longer-term solution is urgently needed,” Cutler said.
South Korea seeks US visa rule changes after mass arrests spark outrage
I am quoted and contributed to the article …. Don Southerton
KIM JAEWON and PAK YIU
September 11, 2025 12:16 JST
Updated on September 11, 2025 14:47 JST
SEOUL/NEW YORK — Moon Young-ju could not contain his anger when he heard the news that over 300 South Koreans had been detained after U.S. immigration authorities last week raided a joint Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery factory under construction in the state of Georgia.
The 54-year-old former merchant protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in downtown Seoul on Wednesday with a yellow banner reading: “Yankees go home. Get out america army.”
“I came here because I was so upset,” Moon said after lighting a cigarette. “We invested as they demanded. We built factories as they demanded. It’s our blood, sweat and tears.”
Moon is not alone. South Korea’s government faces widespread public outcry and calls to stand up to the U.S. over the treatment of its arrested citizens, some of whom were seen in footage being led away restrained by body chains, although the two sides have since agreed to send the detained workers home this week on a charter flight.
The raid came as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes ahead with a crackdown on illegal immigration even as he demands that countries like South Korea make massive investments to build state-of-the art production facilities in America — part of his policy of “reshoring” manufacturing and reducing trade deficits.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said at a news conference on Thursday that the raid would likely make some companies from his country “hesitant” to carry out more large investments in the U.S. “Companies are quite taken aback. The fact is that they sent these workers to the U.S. not for the long term, but to set up machinery in a factory because there aren’t enough workers in the U.S. who know how to do that,” he said.
The raid and the accompanying national indignation have pushed Seoul to demand that Washington loosen visa rules for workers from abroad amid confusion about the status of the detained.
Lee expressed hope that authorities in the two nations could negotiate changes to visa regulations that would make it easier for South Korean firms to send workers to the U.S. for limited periods.
The government dispatched Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to Washington. The ministry said that he had a meeting with U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio on Wednesday, asking the secretary of state to set up a new visa category for South Korean workers.
He also told Rubio that South Koreans were “hurt and shocked” by the arrests of their compatriots, who came to the U.S. to contribute to the revival of the country’s manufacturing industry.
After arriving on Tuesday, he hosted a meeting with executives from eight South Korean companies operating businesses in the U.S., including LG and Hyundai Motor.
Company executives asked the minister to bring up with the U.S. the potential launch of a separate visa under the E-4 category — which currently covers certain classes of special immigrants — for South Korean professionals, as well as increasing approvals of E-2 visas — which cover professionals with advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability — for South Korean companies investing in America. They also asked the U.S. government to clarify guidelines for B-1 visas, a short-term business visa that employees of South Korean companies get when they make work trips to the country. Many of the detained South Korean workers held such a visa.
Cho told the businesspeople that their concerns had already been conveyed to Washington and pledged to continue making efforts to ensure the smooth operation of South Korean companies investing in the U.S.
Moon Young-ju stands next to his protest banner near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Sept. 10. (Photo by Kim Jaewon)
South Korean companies complain that there is only a limited quota of B-1 visas, meaning they cannot get them when they need them.
“Sometimes we need to send our employees immediately,” said an industry source familiar with the issue, who also requested anonymity. “It’s not easy to set up a plan a year in advance. Many Korean companies raised this issue before. I’m very sorry that [the raid] happened before the problem was resolved.”
The incident has rattled Asian investors who have set up factories in the U.S. and highlights some of the labor difficulties foreign companies face. Companies are now wondering how they can set up and build manufacturing in the U.S. if they don’t have support from the authorities, said Don Southerton, a business consultant who works with South Korean companies such as Hyundai.
He anticipates some projects will slow down, and this will send ripples through America’s battery market. Southerton says the incident underscores the urgency of visa revisions that would allow expat engineers to work more effectively and streamline projects that will foster American manufacturing. Currently, he said, the visa system “allows them to teach how to use a screwdriver but doesn’t actually allow them to use a screwdriver. How can you show them how it’s done without actually demonstrating?”
On Monday, South Korea’s foreign minister said that resolving the visa issue is a precondition for the country to deliver the$150 billion in investments promised during a summit between the two allies last month.
“At the previous summit, there was a request for … [South] Korea’s large-scale investment, and we also responded to it. To achieve it, I would stress to the U.S. side that this visa issue is a precondition,” Cho told lawmakers before his trip to the U.S. capital.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said foreign companies were encouraged to legally bring “your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products.” He added, “We will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers.”
Analysts said that South Korea needs to use its investment package as leverage to pressure the Trump administration into reaching an agreement on the issue.
“Because there are already pledges of large-scale investment, it should be possible to solve the visa quota issue within that framework,” said Jung Jae-hwan, a professor of international politics and economy at Inha University in Incheon.
“Of course the U.S. could impose new conditions, such as a certain portion of local hires, but at least they should be able to mitigate the recurrence of this kind of detention case.”
Additional reporting by Steven Borowiec.
South Korea seeks US visa rule changes after mass arrests spark outrage