On Sunday, April 25, AustCham Korea paid their respects by attending the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the War Memorial of Korea. Following the service, AustCham members took part in a wreath-laying presentation at the Australian monument in the Role of Honour hall.

The event gave a chance for those in the Australian and New Zealand communities to show their respect to those who served and died in war and on operational service past and present.

ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important national occasions, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. Since this year marks the 70th anniversary of one of the key battles that Australian and New Zealand forces engaged in during the Korean War in 1951, the Dawn Service was a particularly significant one – reflecting the enduring friendship between our nations.

The spirit of ANZAC, with its qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.

For more information on ANZAC Day and its history click on the link below.

View more photos here.

AustCham marked the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Gapyeong by attending a special commemorative ceremony at the Australia and New Zealand Memorial in Gapyeong on Friday, 23rd of April.

The event honoured the brave soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, who fought alongside South Korea during the Korean War.

Joined by the Australian Ambassador, H.E Catherine Raper, and sponsors in-person, and the Korean War veterans in Australia and New Zealand virtually, AustCham honoured the legacy of those who fought by participating in a special ceremony by donating 8 educational scholarships to local middle and high school students from the Gapyeong community.

AustCham would like to thank and acknowledge the our members and sponsors for their support of the scholarship program.

In addition, we would also like to thank Rio Tinto Korea, Macquarie Group, Pepper Savings Bank and Kenny Lee of Rio Tinto Korea, who made a personal contribution, for making additional donations.

View more photos here.

Watch the scholarship highlights video here.

On Saturday, April 17th, AustCham Korea had the pleasure of attending Cochlear Korea’s 13th anniversary concert.

While the event had limited attendee numbers due to social distancing measures, it was also broadcast live on YouTube.

The Chamber’s Executive Director, Rowan Petz, participated in the Awards ceremony, presenting a prize on stage for a lucky virtual attendee. Julie Quinn, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Austrade Korea & Mongolia, was also in attendance and presented an Award to one of the Cochlear’s Got Talent winners.

We would like to congratulate the Cochlear’s Got Talent contest winners and the Cochlear Korea team for their amazing achievements.

Cochlear has blazed a trail for Australian medical innovators on the global stage. Established in 1981, Cochlear is a global leader in hearing-implant devices, providing more than 550,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages to lead full and active lives.

For more information visit: www.cochlear.com

On Thursday, April 15, AustCham Korea visited the Born2Global Centre in Pangyo Techno Valley.

Since its inception in 2013, Born2Global Centre is the main Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). With its mission to establish a global startup hub where major actors of the global startup scene can interact and collaborate, Born2Global aims to play a role as a middleman for connecting Korean and international startup players.

Born2Global acts as a global startup accelerator and an ICT innovation business developer, seeking to provide a total solution for startups’ global market entry, and to create Unicorns through running a its unique one-stop support platform.

They are keen to connect with Australian startups interested in collaborating with Korean startups, as well as corporate partners that may be interested in their B2B Tech-Matching program.

The Chamber looks forward to building upon the synergy between our two organisations and encourages those interested in finding out more about how to get involved with Born2Global initiatives to reach out to us on info@austchamkorea.org.

Visit the Born2Global website for details.

On April 20, AustCham Korea was pleased to host a special webinar discussing ‘Agri Supply Chains: Risk Mitigation and Resilience Post-COVID’.

We would like to thank our speakers, Margaret Staib Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AM, CSC, Australian Government Freight Controller, Robert McLeod, Product Manager Cold Chain Logistics, Oceania at A.P. Moller - Maersk, and Julie Quinn, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Korea & Mongolia, for their valuable insights into this important topic.

Additionally, the Chamber would like to give special thanks to Helen Oh, Trade Commissioner at Austrade Seoul and Han Yong Cho, Area Business Development Manager at Maersk, who worked behind the scenes to make this event happen!

To watch the webinar recording, please click here.

On April 8, one month after International Women’s Day, AustCham Korea was pleased to host a special follow-up event exploring the roles of ‘Champions of Change: Male Leaders Championing Gender Equality in Their Fields‘.

We would like to thank our four panellists, Alfred Bae , Head of Research & Analysis, Korea at ANZ , Felix Busch, General Manager at Millennium Hilton Seoul, Ken Nam, Of Counsel, Seoul at Herbert Smith Freehills, and Andrew Wagner, Investment Director and Country Head, Korea of Blueleaf Energy Asia, along with our MC, Jo Billing, Director & Co-CEO at JOST & Co for their time and insights on this important topic.

Watch the webinar recording here.

On Wednesday, April 7th, AustCham Korea partnered with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Queensland (CCIQ) to host a special webinar exploring 'Export Strategies & Business Opportunities in Korea Post COVID-19'.

We would like to thank the speakers, Diana Gueorguieva, Manager International Trade & Strategic Relationships at CCIQ, Helen Oh, Trade and Investment Commissioner & Commercial Counsellor – Seoul at Austrade, John McLean, Managing Director and CEO at Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, and Rowan Petz, Executive Director at AustCham Korea, for the insightful discussion.

Watch the webinar recording here.

On Wednesday, March 31, AustCham Korea visited the new Seoul International Financial Office (SIFO) at One IFC in Yeouido.

Launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the ‘Seoul International Financial Office and Networking Space’ provides foreign financial institutions with an opportunity to enjoy subsidised rent and consultation services if they move their office into the space.

We would like to thank Violet(Jahyun) Kim for the kind invitation and introduction of SIFO.

If you are interested in finding out more, please check the following link and reach out to our AustCham Korea team on info@austchamkorea.org for details.

The Fillet-O-Fish, a popular classic in Australia, is now available at McDonald's nationwide. To mark the occasion, the AustCham Korea Secretariat team enjoyed a lunch at their local McDonald's.

Special shoutout to the McDonald's Korea Managing Director, Antoni Martinez, for bringing back this classic to Korea!

Watch the video about the news here.

Did you know that you can find AustCham Korea's past webinars on our YouTube channel?

We upload complimentary past webinars to make them accessible to you for review or viewing at your leisure. If you are an AustCham Member and would like to access some of the past paid webinar recordings, please get in touch with us at info@austchamkorea.org.

Click here to browse AustCham Korea's YouTube Channel and subscribe to keep track of our webinars and other initiatives.

This week, AustCham Korea is pleased to host a special webinar exploring 'The Evolution of Korea's Beer & Liquor Industry: Challenges and Opportunities'.

Tune-in between 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm on Thursday, April 29 (tomorrow), for a special industry panel discussion which will include Matthew Holmes​ (AE Brands Korea), Ross Gregory​ (Moonbear Brewing / Indulge Co), Julia Mellor​ (The Sool Company) and Dan Hamilton (Diageo Korea) and will be moderated by Jacco Zwetsloot​.

This unique event will be filmed live in person with an interactive audience joining via Zoom video conferencing.

Bringing together several industry experts, this fireside chat style discussion will discuss and explore the recent evolution of Korea's alcoholic beverage market, the impact of COVID-19 and insights & perspectives on the future of Korea's beer and liquor industry.

AustCham Korea, in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), invites you to join us at 10 am KST on Tuesday, May 4, for special online roundtable ‘Accelerating the Green Energy Transition: Leveraging the Full Spectrum of Green Finance Initiatives’.

In July 2020, the Korea Government’s Green New Deal announced the decision to support a transition towards net-zero emissions, which was further strengthened by its commitment in November 2020 to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Green New Deal anticipates investments of 73.4 trillion won (42.7 trillion won from the treasury); and the creation of 659,000 jobs. With the aim to strengthen climate action and realize a green economy, investment will focus on green infrastructures (12.1 trillion won from the treasury), renewable energy (24.3 trillion won from the treasury), and fostering green industry (6.3 trillion won from the treasury). However, the magnitude of these investments are likely to increase with the commitment of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The financial sector will play a key role in supporting the transition to the green economy, both government, private national and private international banks – in both corporate and retail operations.

The event aims to share the experience of Australian banks and public finance institutions to support the delivery of net-zero emissions, climate action and realization of a green economy with Korean banks and public finance institutions.

Kicking off with presentations by ANZ, IFM Investors and Pepper Savings Bank, the roundtable discussion aims to explore a diverse array of green finance initiatives and provide inspiration for both policy-makers and corporate organisations.

Join us online by registering your details. If you have a question for the roundtable or would like more information about this initiative, please email us at events@austchamkorea.org

Please note that due to the ongoing high case numbers of COVID-19 in Korea, the Chamber has made the decision to further postpone the event to August 20th.

Date: Friday, August 20, 2021

Time: 7:00 pm – late (registration starts at 6:30 pm)

Location: Millennium Hilton Seoul, Grand Ballroom

Address: 50 Sowol-ro, Namdaemunno 5(o)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

Dress code: Smart casual

Format: Standing buffet showcasing premium Australian inspired cuisine and beverages.

Registration: Ticket purchases will re-open shortly. Thank you to all those who have already purchased tickets for the event, which was expected to tale place on March 19th.

If you are no longer able to attend the event on August 20th, please get in touch with us at events@austchamkorea.org and we will issue a refund.

Wrap-up the month with some terrific April specials from our Small Business Members!

This month, we are glad to be featuring deals from: Australian Tea Masters, Bae Juice, Big Dream (Four Pillars Gin), CrossFit Hannam, Golden 8 Skincare, Kanguru, MoonBear Brewing 문베어브루잉, The Sool Company, The Workshop, Posture360 and Simple Spaces.

Check out the April specials here.

As Macquarie Group celebrate their 20th anniversary in Korea, they are delighted to work alongside the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in awarding scholarships for students at KAIST Graduate School of Finance.

Macquarie Korea held a scholarship delivery ceremony for KAIST Graduate School of Finance at the Korea Macquarie Office in Jongno, Seoul on March 19th. 18 million won was provided as scholarships to 6 KAIST Graduate School of Finance students.

Read more here.

The Chamber's Gold Sponsor, NSW Government, has recently launched a new division - Investment NSW.

Premier Berejiklian says the new agency will drive local and global investment and create the jobs of the future for NSW, showing the world that the state is open for business.

“Investment NSW is a one-stop-shop for the private sector – attracting and growing Australian and global companies, overseas capital, talent, tourists and students,” Ms Berejiklian said.

The establishment of Investment NSW brings together a number of groups from across government into the Premier and Cabinet cluster including the Jobs, Investment and Tourism group from NSW Treasury, Destination NSW, Study NSW, R&D NSW and Global NSW.

Investment NSW will be jointly responsible to the Premier, the Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW, Industry and Trade and the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.

Find out more information about Investment NSW here.

Access the official Media Release here.

The Chamber's Silver Sponsor, POSCO (CEO Jeong-Woo Choi) decided to actively implement ESG management by introducing Carbon Neutral LNG.

Carbon-neutral LNG is green gas produced in the process of offsetting carbon dioxide emissions with carbon credits earned from afforestation industries, renewable energy projects, and environmental conservation projects.

In order to actively participate in global carbon reduction efforts, POSCO plans to purchase carbon-saving products not only for self produced goods but also external purchase fuel. As a result, POSCO recently purchased a cargo of carbon-neutral LNG (about 64,000 tons) from RWE, a German gas supplier via POSCO International subsidiary in Singapore. Carbon-neutral LNG, which departed from Australia and arrived at POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks LNG Terminal on March 19, will be used for POSCO steelworks’ factory operation and electricity power supply in the future.

POSCO became the second Korean company that introduced the carbon-neutral LNG following GS Energy in July 2019 and 10th company in the world.

Read more here.

AustCham Korea's Corporate Member, A.P. Moller - Maersk, has recently announced the launch of Maersk Korea’s Incheon Inland Container Depot!

This new ICD will allow Maersk customers to have more flexibility in exporting and importing their cargo. Learn more about Maersk Incheon ICD from below and feel free to contact their local team for more details: https://lnkd.in/gnhcPsU

Download the ICD Information Pack here.

Here’s to a proud moment for our Corporate Member, CitrusAd — they came #39 in the Deloitte 2020 Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 list.

Most of their growth was in 2020, which was quite a tumultuous year for everyone. A big shoutout to their amazing team and the people behind the scenes of CitrusAd’s success!

Considering Australia's small 25 million population, it's also applaudable that 20% of companies in Deloitte’s 2020 Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 list are #Australian.

Check the full list: https://lnkd.in/gfWDFy8

Find out more about CitrusAd: https://www.citrusad.com/

Great to spot a former AustCham Korea Board Member and active community member, Yong In Cho, on the Advance.org Born Global podcast!

Yong In Cho is a fintech expert, specialising in the payments industry, with deep knowledge of the financial technology market across Asia. Currently the Head of eCommerce for the world’s largest payment service company, Fiserv, Yong In most recently initiated and managed development of a solution allowing Korean tourists and Korean students to enjoy fee-free credit card transactions in Australia.

Yong In is a strong promoter of the ‘Australia’ brand, he credits his post-school education at Sydney TAFE NSW, where he gained a diploma in drafting / CAD design, with preparing him for the fast-paced and ever-changing financial technology industry. He also gives a nod to the Australian sports culture which allowed him to learn about teamwork and make friendships throughout a broader community.

Discussing the social implications for a cashless economy, Yong In is a generous source of intelligence around fintech policy and regulations, and is passionate about the role trust plays in payment solutions.

Listen here.

AustCham Korea is pleased to welcome ELSYUNG CONSULTING as our newest Member!

Elsyung Consulting offers bespoke and holistic Human Resources consultancy and people development programmes, delivering meaningful impact to SMEs. By developing teams to be highly engaged and capable, they help business owners focus their time on growing their business.

Partnering closely with the management, their founder, Elsie Yung, led the regional in-house HR team to support the growth of a multinational company by expanding the workforce from 300 to 800 in 7 cities, contributing to 2.5 times of net sales increase in 2 years.

Unlike similar companies, their founder’s 25+ years of relevant experience allow Elsyung Consulting to understand the needs of business owners truly. That is why their founder and seasoned collaborative partners visit each organization to find out their real needs and recommend solutions in #HumanResources best practices, building capabilities, enhancing well-being and developing the personal image.

Through working with your people, Elsyung Consulting helps you achieve your business goals.

Website: www.elsyungconsulting.com

AustCham Korea is pleased to welcoming Gogozing Migration as our newest Member!

Gogozing Migration is an independent Australian immigration agency based in Melbourne, Australia and Ansan-si, South Korea. Gogozing focuses on providing high quality immigration services to businesses, families and individuals worldwide with a particular focus on the South Korean market.

The company is headed by Edward Rimmington, a registered Australian migration agent (MARN: 1688177) who prior to establishing Gogozing Migration, worked and lived in South Korea in the area of international business and consulting helping international businesses enter the South Korean Market.

Gogozing Migration is truly a hybrid Australia-Korean company with the business name “Gogozing” taken from the Korean catchphrase meaning 'Let's go!' or 'Let's do it. This is a popular saying in South Korea with the “Go” coming from the English word “go” and “Zing” being the sound of someone heading towards their target.

The founder Eddie believes that if you want to live, work, study or do business in Australia then “Let’s go” or “Let’s do it”. There should not be anything stopping you from “GoGoZing” to you destination or goal.

Gogozing is looking forward to work with AustCham Korea and it’s members who have inquires about Australian migration and visa matters both personal and professional as Australia’s post COVID-19 economic recovery is will be pinned on skilled migration, foreign direct investment and recruiting global talent.

Stay tuned for updates on Gogozing’s Australian Immigration Expo in the coming months.

Website: www.gogozingmigration.com