On Saturday, May 29, AustCham Korea hosted a special eco-friendly CSR event, titled as the ‘Yeouido Hangang Eco Conservation Project’.

Joined by senior representatives from ANZ, Blueleaf Energy (a subsidiary of Macquarie Group), Herbert Smith Freehills, IFM Investors, Millennium Hilton Seoul, POSCO and Woodside Energy, the project provided a platform for participants to give back to the community by assisting with the upkeep of the Saetgang Ecological Park, located by the Han River in Yeouido, Seoul.

The Saetgang Center, which oversees the Saetgang Ecological Park, has been working on the removal of ecological disturbing species that have covered the Saetgang forest.

The Center has also successfully planted 6500 saetral trees on the south side of Saetgang Park. The trees are resistant to pollution and retain their leaves all year round, playing an important role in removing dust and noise.

During Saturday’s event, AustCham CSR volunteers also assisted in replanting numerous tree varieties around the park.

The eco-conservation activity was part of AustCham Korea’s broader CSR and sustainability efforts, as an active member of the Blue Skies and Net Zero 2050 Campaign.

View more photos here.

Read the official Media Release in English and Korean.

Last Friday, June 25, AustCham Korea supported the New South Wales Government in hosting an exclusive NSW Alumni Exclusive Dinner Reception.

The event, which was hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, aimed to recognize the importance of people to people links in facilitating Australia-Korea business partnerships for mutual benefits and prosperity.

Attendees included senior representatives from the Australia-Korea business community, including alumni of Charles Sturt University, Macquarie University, University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Western Sydney University and University of Wollongong.

Read more and see photos from the event here.

Register for the NSW alumni database here.

On Wednesday, June 23, AustCham Korea's executive Director, Rowan Petz, visited Induk University to attend a special memorandum of understanding (MoU) ceremony between the Chamber, the university, Korea Council for University College Education and KoreaPEN (Korea Practice Enterprises Network).

In the spirit of mutual cooperation, the parties agreed to promote global practical training program and cultural collaboration with the goal of bridging the gap between young Koreans’ competences and companies’ expectations, while improving their employment capability and global mindset.

The collaboration is expected to involve:

- Development and co-operation of the Global Practical Training Program (GPTP)

- Creation of a talent pool of competent and operational Korean students ready to be hired by companies when needed by providing the students the maximum practical training/experience

Commenting on this important milestone, AustCham Korea’ executive Director, Rowan Petz, expressed his support of the cooperation, saying “This is a historic moment for the Chamber. I look forward to working with our partners at Induk University, Korea Council for University College Education and Korea Practice Enterprise Network (Korea PEN), to further strengthen the links between Australia and Korea in the fields of education and training.”

Following the MoU ceremony on Wednesday, AustCham Korea and Korea PEN representatives enjoyed a tour of the Induk University campus, including a visit to the Museum of History and various faculties, such as the School of Art & Design and School of Language and Social Studies.

Read more here.

AustCham Korea's Project Manager, Kate Kalinova, recently caught up with the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) President Christoph Heider to chat about furthering our engagement with green initiatives.

AustCham Korea and ECCK are both strongly committed to supporting the green energy transition and continually look for opportunities to facilitate knowledge-sharing between our members, across both private and public sectors.

Reflecting this commitment, both Chambers are currently part of the Blue Skies and Net Zero 2050 Campaign, initiated by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) last year.

https://austchamkorea.org/

https://ecck.or.kr/

On Wednesday, June 9, AustCham Korea had the pleasure of joining the Australia-Korea Open Innovation Forum, which was hosted as part of the BIO KOREA 2021 conference.

It was terrific to see many biotech experts share their expertise, both offline in COEX and online via Zoom, and catch-up with many of the state-government representatives that were involved in supporting the event.

Big congratulations to all the companies involved, including the 28 Australian Pavilion participants, and to the KHIDI and Austrade Seoul teams (especially Juliet Woo) for the successful event!

Photo credit: Austrade Seoul / Dylan Goldby

In July, representatives of AustCham Korea will meet with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC)’s Foreign Enterprises Ombudsman, Mr. Kim Tae Eung.

The meeting aims to discuss any difficulties or grievances experienced by member companies who are carrying out business in Korea.

If you have any experiences, concerns, or questions that you would like the Chamber to pass on to the ACRC, please get in touch with AustCham Korea's Executive Director, Rowan Petz on exec@austchamkorea.org.

On Wednesday, June 16, AustCham Korea had the pleasure of joining the #ATE2021 networking event in Seoul, hosted by Tourism Australia.

Australia Tourism Exchange (ATE) is Tourism Australia’s biggest market place/networking event. In the past it was hosted in-person with guests from around the globe flying to Australia, but it was hosted in hybrid format this year due to the ongoing travel restrictions.

The purpose of the networking dinner, which was hosted in Seoul on Wednesday, June 16, was to appreciate partners' dedication and efforts to promote Australia.

Special thanks to Jinha Joh and her team for inviting us to join!

AustCham Korea was pleased to meet with the Ambassador of Colombia to Korea, H.E. Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero, to discuss potential collaboration opportunities in the region.

Australia and Colombia share many similarities, with an increase of trade, tourism and people to people links growing over the years.

The meeting was to discuss how Australia and Colombia can continue to explore avenues of cooperation within Asian utilising existing multilateral agreements and exploring new pathways for collaboration.

If you are interested in doing business in Latin America and would like more information, please be sure to reach out to our team on info@austchamkorea.org for an introduction.

Last month, it was great to enjoy another AustCham team lunch at McDonald's to try out their #BTS set!

Always glad to support the events and initiatives of our Silver Sponsors, especially when they involve a fun team outing around the office neighbourhood.

Make sure to try the set for yourself at your local McDonald's around the globe and watch the video (click here) to get a glimpse of the promotion in Korea.

AustCham Korea consists of a small team of passionate individuals all working towards a common goal of fostering a stronger Australian-Korean and broader business community.

We would like to thank our Administration Manager, Sok Hee Yoon, as he leaves his full-time role with Chamber for new opportunities and look forward to continuing to work with him over the coming two months as a part-time Project Consultant.

“I would like to thank Sok Hee for his dedication and passion in advancing the Australia-Korea relationship. He has been integral to the Chamber’s transformation success over the last two years. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Secretariat, Sponsors, Members and community representatives, thank you and best wishes for the future”, said the Chamber’s Executive Director, Rowan Petz.

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, June 29, 2021, AustCham Korea was glad to team up with the Australian Chambers in Taipei, Japan, Lao, Cambodia, and Mongolia to host an exclusive webinar sharing insights into 'Australian Residency Tax Changes & Tax Implications for Expats'.

We would like to thank the expert speaker, Steve Douglas, CEO, SMATS Group, for his time and insights.

Watch the webinar recording here.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, AustCham Korea was 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‘.

It was terrific to have over 100 registrations for the event and considerable interest from Australian businesses keen to export to #SouthKorea!

The webinar included two parts, with the first session delving into the meaning and marketing strategies embodied in the #BrandAustralia label, featuring a presentation by Jessica Beard, Export Manager at AMCL and a case study by Josephine Robson, Founder/CEO at Golden 8 Skincare.

The second part of the webinar, we delved into Korea branding insights, with a presentation by Sujin Choi, Digital Strategy Consultant at Asiance.

Watch 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.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has wrought unprecedented disruptions to our daily lives and working environments, making purpose-led leadership more critical than ever.

To shed light on this important subject, AustCham Korea is pleased to launch our Upskilling Workshop Series with a special leadership workshop on 'Purpose Led Leadership in the Post Pandemic Times', presented by Elsie Yung, Founder of Elsyung Consulting.

Purpose-led leadership is characterised by actions that create a clarity of purpose to gain (and sustain) employee engagement and motivation by aligning individual's values to the broader organisational vision, mission, and objectives. It can be taken-up by senior leaders and junior managers alike, helping to inspire employees at all levels of the organisation.

We welcome you to elevate your leadership skills and join us online at 1pm KST (2pm AEST) on Thursday, July 8, 2021!

Focusing on illustrating proactive steps that each leader can take to identify key organizational values and inspire and motivate their team, the workshop will be hosted via Zoom, consisting of a 45-minute presentation and an interactive 10-minute Q&A session.

Mobility, both at an individual and systemic levels, is intrinsically tied to the green energy transition.

The transport sector is one of the main consumers of fossil fuel, and hence is a major contributor to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, accounting for 18% of total GHG emission as of 2015. The sustainability and electrification of transport is therefore one of the megatrends in mobility and is an important pillar to achieve its decarbonization.

While recent years have seen a positive shift to green mobility solutions, industry disruptors often face policy hurdles and policy change can sometimes lag behind industry innovation. It is therefore clear that strengthening the cooperation between public and private actors across global markets is an essential step to effectively greening the future of mobility.

To facilitate this dialogue, AustCham Korea, in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), is pleased to bring together policy and industry experts for a special Industry Round Table: The Future of Mobility.

Taking place between 10 am – 11:30 am KST on Thursday, July 15, 2021, the Round Table will feature presentations by Adeel Ahmad, Project Director, Intralink, Casey Hyun, Future Mobility Expert, Jeff Mannering, Managing Director, Audi Korea, and Eric Wang, Co-Founder and CEO, Wind Mobility. AustCham Korea Board Member and Chief Representative of Woodside Energy Korea, Sandra Park, will moderate the discussion.

Dr Kyung Nam Shin, Assistant Director-General and Head of Investment & Policy Solutions Division, GGGI will provide introductory remarks for the session.

The event aims to share the experience of various industry representatives across the full spectrum of mobility.

Register below to receive your Zoom access link for the event and email AustCham Korea’s Executive Director, Rowan Petz, on exec@austchamkorea.org, if you would like to be involved in the Chamber’s Energy, Resources and Sustainability Subcommittee.

Click here for event details & registration.

AustCham Korea is delighted to invite everyone to join us on Friday, Ausgust 20th, for our much-anticipated premium networking night, Taste of Australia.

Bringing together local and expat communities in Seoul, the Taste of Australia event will showcase premium Australian produce, enabling guests to enjoy delicious food, beverage and entertainment at the Millennium Hilton Seoul.

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 take 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.

Looking for visa assistance, your next Seoul apartment or some nice gift ideas with an Aussie connection?

Get inspired with some terrific June specials from our Small Business Members!

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

Check out the June specials here.

Applications for the 59th Australian Export Awards are now open!

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan is urging all Australian exporters to nominate for an award. “Exporters are helping to drive Australia’s economic recovery while creating jobs and supporting local communities,” Mr Tehan said.

Share your #export story and apply now: https://lnkd.in/duWv5hF

AustCham Korea is glad to congratulate Mr Ryan Freer on his appointment as Trade and Investment Queensland's new Trade and Investment Commissioner for Korea.

As a fellow Seoul-based organisation, the Chamber looks forward to engaging with Mr Freer and the TIQ team in the coming months, following the commencement of his posting in Seoul on July 12.

In the press release, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk noted that “The Republic of Korea is one of the largest economies in Asia and currently Queensland’s fourth largest export market, valued at nearly $7.0 billion for the year to April 2021. Korea, a major investor in Queensland’s minerals and renewable energy sectors, is a global leader in research and development intensity, digital displays and semiconductors and is home to global brand Samsung, LG and POSCO.”

Read more here.

Official announcement from the Chamber's Silver Sponsor, the Millennium Hilton Seoul, following a number of reports released by local media:

"Dear Valued Guest,

We are aware of public reports regarding the potential sale of the Millennium Hilton Seoul.

We can confirm that Hilton entered into a long term management agreement with the owning company of this hotel, and intends to continue operating in accordance with this agreement.

We remain committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our guests.

Millennium Hilton Seoul Management"

The Chamber's Silver Sponsor, McDonald's Korea, has been capturing global headlines thanks to the launch of 'The BTS Set'!

Check out the video here to see McDonald's Korea’s Managing Director, Antoni Martinez, enjoying the 'The BTS Set' at McDonald's restaurant in Anguk, Seoul #THEBTS세트

On Saturday, May 29th, Dulwich College Seoul joined their global counterparts in celebrating Founder’s Day!

Please click the following YouTube link to watch the full video that they put together for the virtual Founder’s Day celebration this year.

Gudmundur Jonsson, Head of College at Dulwich College Seoul, shared a special message to mark the occasion:

“I’m happy to unveil this special video highlighting the best of our activities and events, as we celebrate a little differently this year due to the pandemic.

Traditionally, we celebrate Founder’s Day with a full day of fun festivities where we open the College campus to the whole community of students, staff, parents, families and friends.

Please join us in our virtual celebration and see how the spirit of our Founder lives on. All the events and activities reflect our commitment to our community and ultimately, have brought us closer together throughout this challenging year.

We thank you for all your support and the sacrifices you have made this past year.

Enjoy this video that we have put together for you and I look forward to the time when we can once again celebrate Founder’s Day together in person with the whole Dulwich College Seoul Community.

Thank you!”

Gudmundur Jonsson

Head of College

AustCham Korea is pleased to welcome the University of New South Wales (UNSW) as our newest member!

UNSW Business School is a leading business school in the Asia-Pacific, with their subjects consistently ranking within the top 50 worldwide.

Driving purposeful change to shape a better future, the programs aim to equip students with a career focused education for long term success and to enable them to drive as an adaptive thinker in a fast-changing world.

The school's success and progress stem from strong industry engagement. UNSW connects students to industry to help them prepare for their future career. Individuals and organisations are able to support a range of programs to share knowledge, expand student experiences and work in partnership with the Business School.

Find out more here.