2022.03.25
[AMCHAM to attend Roundtable] Upholding global standards needed to attract foreign investment
By James Kim, The Korea Times - With the new Korean government in place amid rising geopolitical tensions, we are seeing a unique window of opportunity for Korea to emerge as a regional hub in Asia over the next two years.
At American Chamber
of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), we firmly believe Korea is well positioned to
emerge as a regional business headquarters. We appreciate that the Korean
government has recognized the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI)
inducement and shown that they value stakeholder input from the international
business community. We are seeing more interest than ever from U.S. companies
in investing in Korea across various industries. We already have seven boards
of governors running Asia from Korea. The relocation of the New York Times Asia
Headquarters from Hong Kong to Seoul is also a powerful testament to the
attractiveness of Korea. It will become even more telling as more companies
appoint heads of Asia to be stationed here in Korea.
AMCHAM had the opportunity
to meet with then candidate Yoon Suk-yeol last December to discuss his vision
for his presidency. Among his many goals, there were a few that are critical to
American businesses in Korea. This includes supply chain issues that have
plagued many of our businesses over the past several months. He also talked
about increasing cooperation on strategic industries, such as biopharma,
semiconductors and digital technology.
President-elect Yoon
Suk-yeol also wants to revitalize the post-pandemic economy through regulatory
reform, related to tax and labor. As Korea still ranks unfavorably in the
region in terms of stringent regulations for business, this is essential for
facilitating innovation and activity by foreign companies in Korea. Korea can
increase its economic dynamism and become attractive to foreign investors by
adjusting to meet global standards. Korea's corporate and individual tax regime
could be made much more competitive compared to its peer countries in Asia.
More flexibility could also be introduced to labor laws, and compliance costs
could be reduced to make Korea an even more attractive place to invest and do
business.
AMCHAM is committed
to being a trusted resource to deepen the enduring bilateral partnership
between the U.S. and Korea and to make Korea the best business destination for
global companies in Asia. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's leadership and
dedication is vital to building momentum and securing Korea's position as
regional headquarters. AMCHAM is aligned with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on
these initiatives, and we look forward to working closely with him and other
foreign chambers to usher in the next phase of growth for Korea.
Source: www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2022/03/419_325930.html