On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, the Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) in Korea and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) co-hosted a special roundtable on green finance initiatives at the GGGI Seoul headquarters to share the experience of Australian financial institutions to support the delivery of net-zero emissions, climate action and realization of a green economy with Korean banks and public finance institutions.

The roundtable, titled ‘Accelerating the Green Energy Transition: Leveraging the Full Spectrum of Green Finance Initiatives,’ was held in a hybrid format, combining in-person and virtual attendance and was hosted as part of the Campaign for Blue Skies and Net Zero 2050 in the Republic of Korea, which was launched last year to support the implementation of the country’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

AustCham Chair and Country Head of ANZ Korea, Mr. Chris Raciti, and GGGI Deputy Director-General Amb. Hyoeun Jenny Kim delivered welcome remarks. Roundtable speakers included Jongsun Kim, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Pepper Savings Bank, Soo Lee, Vice-President, Hong Kon, IFM Investors, Chris Newton, Executive Director, Responsible Investment, IFM Investors, and Nancy Wang, Sustainable Finance, ANZ.

Bringing together financial services experts from both Australian, Korean and global organizations, the Round Table included over 100 attendees from within the public and private sector.

Watch the event recording here.

Click here to read the official Media Release of the event.

On Wednesday, May 26, AustCham Korea representatives attended a special civil society and business event, so-organized by the Global Green Growth Institute and the Climate Change Center. Hosted under the Blue Skies and Net Zero 2050 Campaign, of which AustCham Korea is an official partner, the event invited non-state actors, private sector representatives and the Campaign partners to discuss the path to eliminate emissions since corporate sustainability commitments, with a focus on progress through measurable results.

Ban Ki-moon, President of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Lee Tong-q, Director-General of the Climate, Energy, Environmental and Scientific Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yoo Young-sook, Chair of Climate Change Center, and other participants of the forum submitted a pledge to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work together to combat climate change ahead of the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Seoul Summit on May 30 and 31.

The event is recognized as the official P4G side event and was be held in hybrid format amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch the video recording of Wednesday's event here. Read about the event in local media here.

On Thursday, May 13, AustCham Korea's Executive Director, Rowan Petz, had the pleasure of visiting the George Mason University Korea campus for a special lecture by the Australian Ambassador to Korea, H.E. Catherine Raper.

Ambassador Raper, discussed the 60th anniversary of South Korea- Australia diplomatic relations and its future prospects in her in-depth lecture entitled, “Australia and Korea – a history, dynamic future”, which was attended by 115 participants, including George Mason University students and public figures from the local community.

Read more about the event here.

Are you a graduate form a NSW university or TAFE?

AustCham Korea is proudly working with the New South Wales (NSW) Government in launching an NSW university alumni portal to connect prominent professionals working within the Australia-Korea trade corridor!

The database will include those who have previously studied in NSW and are currently working for Korean or Australian organisations. The purpose of building an NSW alumni database is to provide business opportunities in either Korea and/or Australia (especially NSW).

For more information about registering for the NSW Alumni Database and its benefits, please click here.

On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, AustCham Korea and the ANZCC Japan were pleased co-host a special online briefing, ‘South Australia: Hydrogen Export Opportunities‘.

In exploring new opportunities for stronger collaboration between South Australia, South Korea and Japan, this hydrogen-themed session featured an update from senior representatives of the South Australian government, Richard Day, Director Strategy, Policy and Communications Growth and Low Carbon Division, Department for Energy and Mining, and Edit Mucsi, Business Development Manager (Fuels & Hydrogen), Department of Trade & Investment.

The briefing also provided a comprehensive overview of the S.A government’s new Hydrogen Export Modelling Tool, delivered by the KPMG Australia team, including Matt Pearce, Catherine Lutley and Jon Benton.

Watch the webinar recording here.

We would like to tank all the speakers for the insightful discussion and encourage everyone to explore the Hydrogen Export Modelling Tool (HEMT) for yourself here.

https://austchamkorea.org/

https://www.anzccj.jp/

On Thursday, April 29, the Chamber had the pleasure of hosting a special alcohol industry panel discussion on the evolution of Korea's beer and liquor industry.

Featuring Matthew Holmes (AE Brands Korea), Ross Gregory (MoonBear Brewing / Indulge Co), Julia Mellor (The Sool Company) and Daniel Hamilton (Diageo Korea) and moderator Jacco Zwetsloot, this unique discussion explored the recent evolution of Korea's alcoholic beverage market, the impact of COVID-19 and future trends to watch for.

We would like to thank the speakers for their time and insights into the topic, while also extending out thanks to venue partner, Grand Hyatt Seoul, for hosting the event.

View the webinar recording 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 weekend, AustCham Korea will host a special Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, ‘Yeouido Hangang Eco Conservation Project'.

The project aims to provide a platform for the business community an opportunity to give back to the community by coming together and assisting with the upkeep and rejuvenation of the Saetgang Ecological Park, which is a 758,000㎡ nature park located along the Han River in Yeouido, Seoul.

Due to limited attendee numbers and social distancing regulations, the event is exclusive to Chamber Sponsors.

If your organisation would like more information about this event and other Sponsor benefits, please get in touch with our Executive Director, Rowan Petz by emailing exec@austchamkorea.org.

Are you an Australian exporter looking for tips to streamline your branding strategy in South Korea?

AustCham Korea is pleased to partner with Australian Made Campaign Limited (AMCL) to host a special webinar sharing ‘Insights on How to Leverage Brand Australia in South Korea‘.

Taking place between 11:00 am – 12:00 pm KST on Wednesday, June 2, the webinar will commence with a session delving into the meaning and marketing strategies embodied in the ‘Brand Australia’ label, which will feature a presentation by Jessica Beard, Export Manager at AMCL and a case study by Josephine Robson, Founder/CEO at Golden 8 Skincare.

For the second part of the webinar, we will be sharing Korea branding insights, with a presentation by Sujin Choi, Digital Strategy Consultant at Asiance.

To wrap-up, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions from all speakers in a moderated Q&A segment, which will include pre-submitted questions and ‘live’ questions received via Zoom.

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 May specials from our Small Business Members!

Featuring deals from: Australian Tea Masters, Bae Juice, Big Dream (Four Pillars Gin), CrossFit Hannam, Golden 8 Skincare, Kanguru, Nature Shop, MoonBear Brewing, The Australian Food Shop, The Sool Company, The Workshop, Posture360 and Simple Spaces Korea.

Check out the May specials here.

The Australia-Korea Foundation’s 2021-22 grant round is now open!

The objectives of the Australian-Korea Foundation (AKF) are to:

- Increase public awareness of Australia in Korea, and of Korea in Australia, and the importance of the bilateral relationship

- Develop partnerships in areas of shared interest in the bilateral, regional and global context

- Increase Australians' capacity to effectively engage with Korea.

Key priority areas include:

- Strategic international relations

- Trade and commerce relationships

- Cross cultural collaborations

- Technological, scientific and education innovation

Applications for activities that would strengthen cooperation between Australia and Korea to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic would be welcomed.

Applications must be submitted by 21 June 2021.

Apply here.

And read up on the application guidelines here.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Pepper Savings Bank concluded the agreement that assigns the new women’s pro volleyball team to Gwangju on May 13. Gwangju City Mayor, Lee Yong Sup, and CEO of Pepper Savings Bank, Matthew Chang, signed the contract.

As Pepper Savings Bank had submitted the proposal to own a new women’s pro volleyball team to Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO) in March, Gwangju City has proposed Pepper Savings Bank to host the team in Gwangju since April.

“We will actively support the Youth Volleyball Team of Gwangju City based on the city’s superb capability on local volleyball,” said Matthew Chang, CEO of Pepper Savings Bank. “We will furthermore expand our business as well as lead the job creation in Gwangju where Pepper Savings Bank’s volleyball team will be based.” CEO Chang donated KRW 100 million for the cultivation of young volleyball talents. Pepper Savings Bank has branches in Gwangju as well.

KOVO held a board of directors and approved the launch of the 7th pro women’s volleyball team, run by Pepper Savings Bank on April 20. On May 20, Pepper Savings Bank had their first formal meeting between coaching staff and domestic team members who had been nominated by the team director.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Read the article in Korean here.

POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi delivered a commemorative speech at the opening ceremony of Park1358 in Pohang, emphasising POSCO's transition towards ‘Green & Mobility’.

He emphasized, “In the transition phase of the megatrend represented by low-carbon and eco-friendly environment, POSCO group should go beyond the steel business and take a leap toward becoming a leading company of eco-friendly businesses such as steel and components for electric cars, secondary battery materials, hydrogen energy, and more.”

In January #POSCO launched ‘e Autopos’, an integrated brand of eco-friendly vehicle and solutions, in line with its goal of leading electric vehicle (#EV) market by combining the group’s capabilities such as supplying products and solutions related to #ecofriendly vehicles.

POSCO held an opening ceremony at the Waterside Park near its headquarters in Pohang to open #Park1538, a high-quality cultural complex for employees and the public. ‘Park1538’ was designed with a concept of infinite loop, combing the reusability of steel and infinite human creativity, to connect Waterside Park, POSCO History Museum, POSCO Museum, Sky Bridge, and POSCO Hall of Honor.

Read more here.

Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Seoul are excited to represent the Australian Biotech Mission at BIO KOREA 2021, 9-11 June.

The event is hosted in partnership with MTPConnect, NSW Treasury, Global Victoria, Trade and Investment Queensland, South Australian Government Department for Trade and Investment, The Government of Western Australia and supported by AusBiotech.

29 biotech organisations in clinical trial, contract manufacturing, regenerative medicine, research and development, digital health will be represented.

Visit the Australian National Pavilion & register for online meetings with Australian participants. Details can be found here.

The Australian Ambassador, H.E. Catherine Raper was recently interviewed by The Korea Herald.

The interview reflects the Embassy's ongoing commitment to strengthen Korea-Australia cooperation in this year's 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Raper discusses Australia's role in the Quad and its similarities with Korea's vision for the Indo-Pacific region. She also highlights on hydrogen economy and Covid-19 health issues and anticipates possible ways of developing bilateral cooperation in the fields.

Read the full interview here.

On Monday, May 10, 2021, the South Australian Government successfully hosted a premium wine tasting event, South Australian Wine Grand Tasting 2021, at the Millennium Hilton Seoul. Successfully delivered as a large-scale tasting event within the government’s COVID-safe guidelines, the event attracted 300 attendees throughout the day. The 33 new-to-market wineries participated by sending samples over and the 29 in-market SA wineries represented by 14 Korean importers.

Australian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, H.E. Catherine Raper and the Deputy Head of Mission Dr Alexandra Siddall also joined the event.

You can view the photos here to get a glimpse of the event and visit the Millennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli to enjoy their ongoing promotion and taste some premium South Australian wines for yourself!

Since 2019, Audi Volkswagen Korea Ltd. has been creating a green environment under its CSR initiative, TOMOROAD.

This year, AVK donated 1,100 trees to two schools in Seoul to create forests in classrooms and planted some 600 trees to restore the carbon-neutral forest.

Read more here.

CBRE proudly welcomes HYUN to the CBRE family. Together, we will deliver unprecedented valuation services that help drive business and bottom-line performance for every client in Korea that we serve.

HYUN, an appraisal firm, consisting of real estate appraisal professionals with extensive industry experience across international and domestic real estate appraisal and consulting services joined CBRE in 2020 to form CBRE HYUN.

CBRE HYUN stays on top of the market with quality and market-leading appraisal services for our clients worldwide. CBRE HYUN’s wide range of services include valuation and consultancy services, real estate financial valuation; corporate asset valuation; tax assessment; intangible asset valuation; and feasibility reviews under Korea’s licensed appraisal regulations.

http://www.hyunapp.co.kr/

How can we help transform your real estate into real advantage?

Learn more at cbrekorea.com

Read more on AustCham Member News.

Australia and New Zealand ports continue to experience significant congestion. As a response to the situation, A.P. Moller - Maersk have introduced a new service, the Sirius Star, and added capacity to their Southern Star service to improve network flexibility and supply chain stability.

Maersk's Oceania/Americas services continue to be impacted by delays in the US and terminal congestion in New Zealand. To protect overall network stability, and therefore available capacity, the OC1/Trident service (connecting Oceania to the US East Coast) will now be calling at Napier and Port Chalmers bi weekly. In Australia, Maersk have deployed Soroe Maersk to reposition empty containers and ease depot congestion.

Read more here.

Check out our recent webinar on the subject of supply chains resilience here.

Based in Seoul and interested in becoming an Australia-New Zealand Association (ANZA) Korea Committee Member?

Email president@anzakorea.com for more information and sign-up for an "Expression of Interest Meeting" to meet some current ANZA committee members and chat about what's involved!

Register your expression of interest here.

Applications for the committee roles are accepted until the next ANZA Annual General Meeting, which will take place on 17 June, 2021.

AustCham Korea is pleased to welcome Deloitte as our newest Corporate Member!

Deloitte Korea is a participating firm of Deloitte Asia Pacific Limited, which is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), the world's largest professional service firm with a history of over 176 years.

With Deloitte’s collaborative networks stretching over 150 countries across the globe, Deloitte Korea provides worldclass insight to clients. Deloitte Korea is also proud of demonstrating an undisputed leadership in Audit & Assurance, as well as in the fields of Tax & Legal, Financial Advisory and Risk Advisory, Consulting services to meet the constant developmental changes taking place in the global industries.

Visit their website to find out more.

AustCham Korea is pleased to welcome Intralink as our newest Corporate Member!

Intralink is an international business development and innovation consultancy with a deep specialism in East Asia.

Their expertise lies in helping western businesses to expand in East Asia, Asian companies to collaborate with western innovators, and governments from around the world to grow their exports and attract foreign direct investment.

With 100 full-time employees, a 30-year track record and offices in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, the United States, the UK, France and Poland, they make your international expansion fast, easy and cost effective.

Intralink are proud winners of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise and the President's E Award for Export Service for helping companies grow their businesses overseas.

Visit their website to find out more: www.intralinkgroup.com