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 record numbers. The country after much discussion went ahead with elections as its massive and rapid testing and quarantine efforts have slowed the spread of COVID-19.
On one level the strong voter response is a sign of intense public interest in what may be seen as a referendum on President Moon Jae-in and his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Perhaps more insightful, as a first step in COVID-19 recovery, it appears to have pushed more citizens to cast their ballots.
I believe all efforts will now turn to economic recovery.
For me, this was very apparent in recent in Zoom calls and correspondence with Seoul.
In one example following the election, a Korean colleague asked what was needed as the next step into jump-starting our marketing outreach for a stalled product launch. More so, sensing the urgency and some pressure, they shared leadership’s new and rather hefty quarterly goals for the product launch.
In another instance on a call with a team, senior leadership jumped in to get an update on a number of global business outreaches made in the last few weeks — leadership then asked to move forward ASAP with whatever support was needed from their teams and HQ.
Stepping back and pondering some, I feel we all need to have a plan in place — and be positioned to move forward fast.
As business and commerce recover, agreements will probably be revisited, terms subject to renegotiations, and above all expect partner and leadership requests for a detailed localized Recovery Plan!
To this, I’d add that it’s best to include some countermeasures for recovery. In weeks to come, and as economies emerge from COVID-19, early movers like South Korea may provide much-needed roadmaps for recovery and implementing return to work plans.
That said, we can assume recovery will be gradually phased-in, vary by location, industry sector, and the overall local health status.
It also will require continued social distancing, expanded use of personal protective equipment, and other preventative health measures. ###
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 Korea’s ICT ministry has since last month been supporting IT firms that develop AI algorithms or solutions for the containment of COVID-19. For more information, please contact Don Southerton
The Year of the White Rat. South Korea (as well as China and Vietnam) celebrate two New Years’. One on Jan. 1 and the Lunar New Year celebration, which this year falls on Saturday, January 25.
For your Korean colleagues (living and working in Korea), you can wish them Happy Lunar New Year on Wednesday afternoon by phone, text, or email, which is Thursday AM in Korea and their last workday before the holiday.
Koreans this year will have a 4-day weekend starting Friday K time.
For expatriate Koreans working outside Korea/ globally, you can wish them a Happy Lunar New Year and Year of the White Rat on the day itself, Saturday, January 25, or at some time prior on Friday.
Here is the formal greeting.
Sae hae bok mani ba deu say yo
One more thing… The year of the rat opens up a new 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac. As the first animal to finish the Great Race of the Chinese zodiac legend, the quick-witted rat represents new beginnings and versatility.
According to legend, a Great Race was organized by China’s Jade Emperor to determine the order for the annual calendrical signs. The competition saw the small but clever rat crossing a final river race obstacle by riding on the back of the ox. Then nearing the finish line, the resourceful rat jumping off to cross before the other animals. Thus, being name first among the animals of the 12 Chinese zodiacs.
In Korean folk tales, though the tiniest among the zodiac animals, rats are seen resourceful, nimble, diligent and productive—this translates into 2020 being seen as a year of wealth and abundance.
As always, I appreciate your comments and thoughts, as well as any inquiries to support you and teams by steering through Korea facing business issues with a proven strategy, work throughs, and solutions.
Trying to not doze off and miss a late evening phone or Facebook Message call.
Responding early morning to a previous evening’s urgent Text.
This week we look at some of the new challenges as we’re finding more open and direct communications between Korean HQ and local teams. This is more and more commonly surfacing for teams.
Waking up to a rather lengthy request for revisions on a multi-page document that the Korean team needs to finalize as is due that day in Korea.
Don Southerton
By its very nature, Korean facing business is the interaction of worldwide teams operating in different zones—with Korea and North America—their working days beginning as our ends and visa versa.
Beyond the different cultures globally working together on a daily basis, which I speak of often, we have seen the advancements in telecommunications as well as more open communications between working-level teams in the West and Korea.
(BTW I can recall a time when an international call between the US and Korea was not only costly but few Korean office landlines even had international access.)
That said, it’s now common for Staff in Korea to now pick up their mobile phone and reach out via an app for a one on one with a western team member. This contrasts with the old model where all communication between HQ and local subsidiaries went through and was screened by the local expatriate team.
The new model is not without its challenges.
For one, email requests often need clarification and even a message received in the AM in the West with hopes that by the end of day (morning in Korea) there will be substantial progress—without some clarity—little may have been accomplished.
More so, even if a request is made—local teams are often stretched thin—and any new workload can be seen as overwhelming.
Also common are End of Day requests—again sent at the beginning of the day in Korea—but received as the day is wrapping up in the West. In contrast for an expat team their “second day” often begins around 4-5 PM as the Korean HQ is back on-line and their work often running late into the evening—but for western employees working late is most often not an option.
I do have a number of work-arounds—most the result of nearly 20 years working directly with teams and leadership in Korea.
Here I share two among my long list many proven cross-culture approaches and solutions.
Hint 1
In the case of a last-minute request or a request that may require more clarity and/or substantial research….
As I learned from a senior Korean executive, in many cases Korea often requests local input so teams and leadership can finalize an important decision. They are aware of time restraints and that a comprehensive response could take days. Noting that they are looking for some input, even input limited in scope, that may help sway their decision—pro or con.
Hint 2
In the case of a request and not wishing to seem uncooperative—but unable to respond as requested due to commitments and workload….
Given my experience in dealing with urgent HQ request as noted in Hint 1, I suggest sharing with the Korean team that you’d be happy to assist but you’ll need additional time due to current deadlines, end of day, etc.
As a caveat, I always ask for their timeline and then share some options on when you may be able to assist. I have found what is assumed to be an urgent request often does have flexibility.
In closing, I feel the move to more open and direct communications between HQ and the local team is quite positive. It is not without its challenges as we learn to adapt, build relationships and work within the restraints in time difference, life balance and work hours.
I look forward to your thoughts and comments. Again, if needed I can share more regarding proven cross-culture approaches and solutions.
Today is an exciting day for me. I just launched my Patreon page.
Staying on top of Korea facing business issues and breaking news that impacts you makes a large demand on my time.
Don Southerton
The research, analysis, writing, and delivering the best content possible to you every week has become a full-time job.
In order to continue providing the very best content I can, I could really use your help. I feel Patreon is a great option to offset the costs. If you aren’t familiar with Patreon, it’s an easy way for those interested in my work to see new exclusive content and have access to a range of my services.
100% of all funds contributed through Patreon will be used to cover my bandwidth, so I can focus on creating great content. As a friend, I wanted to share the news with you before promoting more widely.
So, if it feels right to you, anything you or the company contribute is most appreciated. With each tier there are some cool benefits, too.
It’s that time of the year with Chuseok, (the Korean Harvest Moon Festival) right around the corner.
This year, Chuseok will be observed Sept. 12-14, with the holiday on Friday, and the day before and after celebrated as National Holidays, too.
Koreans, like many agrarian cultures, once followed the lunar calendar, but in recent history, they have deferred to the solar calendar in line with international practice.
While public holidays are based on the solar calendar, there are a few days that are celebrated based on the lunar calendar.
These are the two most important traditional holidays, the Korean New Year’s Day (the first day of the first lunar month) and Chuseok, the Harvest Moon Festival (fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month).
En mass a substantial part of the population travel. For many, this means going back to their home villages. Over the holiday they perform ancestral rituals at the graves of relatives as well as share time with their family over traditional foods. Others may opt to travel overseas, or a popular trend has been to staycation in a luxury hotel.
For your Korean colleagues (in Korea), you can wish them a happy Chuseok while they are still in their office, so this coming Tuesday, September 11 in the West (which will be Wednesday AM in Korea).
Again, for most Koreans the holiday break will begin Wednesday Korea time at the end of day through the weekend. Some may take extra days off that week.
For expat Koreans working outside Korea, you can wish them happy Chuseok on the actual holiday, Friday September 13.
If you’d like to try, here’s a common greeting:
Chuseok jal ji nae sae yo.
Happy Chuseok works fine, too.
Even though many things have been changed by Korea’s rapid industrialization, urbanization, and globalization we find in the celebration of Chuseok that family remains one of the bedrocks of Korean society.
Please read! I hope you find value in my Korea facing updates and analysis; information that impacts you, your teams, and company. Staying on top of the issues and breaking news makes large demands on my time. With so much transition currently underway in Korea and within their global organizations we’ll actually see an acceleration in change—one all will find challenging, Koreans and Westerners.
In order to continue providing the very best content and insights, I could really use your help. Frankly this means making sure we are engaged throughout the year with either one of my onboarding, mentoring and coaching programs, the Korea 101 workshops, or as a trusted advisor.
Your voice and support matters and is much appreciated.
Korean business and talking points. American holidays allow me to step back, see what I may be missing, take a deep breath and uncover the best solutions to current challenges. My goal is to provide frank insights and pro-active recommendations. Below are a couple of helpful talking points.
Talking Point #1 As with all individuals, no two of us are alike—and the same goes for westerners and Koreans …. Each has his or her unique cultural workplace strengths, skills, and experiences.
That said, one topic I constantly revisit is the assumption that executives and teams engaged in Korea facing business will simply “get it” and “learn as they go.” Without ongoing coaching, this common default seldom works. More damaging is that some team members without support and mentoring may “never get it.”
Arguments that such support can wait often come with a price tag—missteps along the way, poor productivity, and miscommunications.
Push back attributed to the costs for support is often cited, too, as well as what appears to be dismissing or delaying any action until there is a real unavoidable need. The later, can range from denial with hopes that things will work out—to concealing these issues because they might reflect poorly on some in local management. Again, regardless such hopes to dismiss and not engage fail to recognize what I see as decades of history to the contrary.
Talking Point #2 Most non-Korean executives employed to run Korean business divisions are veterans of their industry. They know the business. They are experts. Sadly, they can know little of Korean business and/or feel their past work knowledge is sufficient.
Even more significant, I found that some feel that given time, they will get Koreans to do business their way following the model and methods they polished and acquired working for other firms—often Japanese or German.
Contrary to this hope and recognizing the considerable work practices and corporate structure changes underway in Korea, such as dress codes, fewer hierarchical titles, and a more balanced workday, I do not see Korean firms changing much in their core and deeply rooted business values and processes. More so, American, German, or Japanese business practices like Korean are rooted in their own respective intrinsic cultures.
My suggestion for division executives eager to bring change is to first become fully versed in Korean methods. Learn about the company and their partners. Learn how Koreans manage. Drill deep.
This learning does not occur without considerable insight, mentoring and coaching. In turn, once this ground work is completed, I have found and can offer some sound approaches for introducing new business methods and practices without push back.
In both cases… Ongoing support of non-Korean management is a must for all Korea facing organizations. Mentoring and coaching is the key. Experience and skills vary, so support must be tailored to address individual needs.
More significant, mentoring requires a deep mutual understanding of both Korean and western business, not to mention the specific Western and Korea-based firms and the industry in general.
I look forward to answering any questions and providing recommendations.
North Korea and a Measured Displeasure?. There is always some concern among Western teams when North Korea saber rattles… I will try to give some perspective.
I see no need for alarm even amidst a new round of missile launches and an alert by the North for “full-combat posture.”
Having followed North Korea since 1989 including a mix of academic work, friendships with some of the top experts on North Korea, as well as watching the more recent Trump-Kim talks… I’ve always felt any negotiations with the North seem like two steps forward, and one step back — not to mention North Korea is skilled at brinkmanship.
My take on the latest missile launches is that the North appears to be demonstrating measured displeasure with the breakdown in talks following the February Hanoi summit between leader Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump.
The North also seems to be determined to put pressure on South Korea and Washington for the resumption of dialogue. Missle launches do get our attention.
For North Korea resumption of high-level Trump- Kim talks are the key to getting sanctions lifted, which is much needed for North Korea’s struggling economy.
And finally, resumption would help Kim show his leadership — many feel his failed efforts in Hanoi were damaging…including loss of face.
Just a reminder as Korea has some May 2019 holidays coming up…
In South Korea, May 1st is known simply as “Workers’ Day,” a paid holiday under the Designation of Workers’ Day Act.
A National Holiday, Children’s Day falls on a Sunday May 5. In 2019, Monday, May 6 will be celebrated as the holiday. Workers get a day off work and children get a day off school.
Families make an extra effort to do something special on Children’s Day. Parents will often take their children somewhere special and treat them to snacks or ice cream. Theme parks, zoos, and historic sites are popular places for Koreans to take their children, too.
This year Buddha’sBirthday, a National Holiday, falls on Sunday, May 12. Buddha’s Birthday is not only an important and auspicious day for the nation’s practicing Buddhists (a religious group that makes up approximately one fifth of South Korea’s population), but it is also a public holiday that is widely celebrated across the country.
Festivities surround the holiday and Buddhist temples are transformed into kaleidoscopes of color–vibrantly colored, lotus-shaped lanterns hung throughout.
This Part 2 Korea Q & A looks at how to offset the unexpected.
In many cases, leadership and team do need direct support. I want to strongly encourage you to reach out to me. At least for a neutral second opinion. Best, too, to engage early, and not put off until issues escalate or go sideways. Waiting rarely makes things better.
South Korea – A Roadmap to COVID-19 Economic Recovery
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/
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 record numbers. The country after much discussion went ahead with elections as its massive and rapid testing and quarantine efforts have slowed the spread of COVID-19.
On one level the strong voter response is a sign of intense public interest in what may be seen as a referendum on President Moon Jae-in and his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Perhaps more insightful, as a first step in COVID-19 recovery, it appears to have pushed more citizens to cast their ballots.
I believe all efforts will now turn to economic recovery.
For me, this was very apparent in recent in Zoom calls and correspondence with Seoul.
In one example following the election, a Korean colleague asked what was needed as the next step into jump-starting our marketing outreach for a stalled product launch. More so, sensing the urgency and some pressure, they shared leadership’s new and rather hefty quarterly goals for the product launch.
In another instance on a call with a team, senior leadership jumped in to get an update on a number of global business outreaches made in the last few weeks — leadership then asked to move forward ASAP with whatever support was needed from their teams and HQ.
Stepping back and pondering some, I feel we all need to have a plan in place — and be positioned to move forward fast.
As business and commerce recover, agreements will probably be revisited, terms subject to renegotiations, and above all expect partner and leadership requests for a detailed localized Recovery Plan!
To this, I’d add that it’s best to include some countermeasures for recovery.
In weeks to come, and as economies emerge from COVID-19, early movers like South Korea may provide much-needed roadmaps for recovery and implementing return to work plans.
That said, we can assume recovery will be gradually phased-in, vary by location, industry sector, and the overall local health status.
It also will require continued social distancing, expanded use of personal protective equipment, and other preventative health measures.
###