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[The
Interview] Korean companies should "use American citizens as
ambassadors" to navigate Trump tariff era: AMCHAM CEO James Kim
Arirang TV - The American Chamber of Commerce here in Korea believes raising awareness within the American public about Korea's business contributions to the U.S market may well serve the broader interests of the two governments. Our Lee Soo-jin explains.
U.S. President Donald
Trump's hard-line tariff agenda is fueling rapid, unpredictable shifts in the
global trading landscape.
South Korean companies
are among those heavily impacted,. which is why they are actively exploring new
strategies to adapt to the shifting environment.
We sat down with the
President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul on Tuesday, who
spoke highly of the contributions that Korean companies have made to the U.S.
economy.
"I think that
Korean companies have done an amazing job. If you take a look at the past three
years, Korean companies have made around 140 billion dollars worth of
investment in America, making them the largest foreign direct investor in the
United States. So if you are an American politician a governor or even the
president of the United States I think you have to recognize the big
contributions that Korean companies have made."
But while Korean
companies' contributions have been significant, more effort is needed to raise
awareness of both these contributions and their broader strengths, particularly
among the American public.
"If you talked to
an average American citizen who's living in Illinois, I don't think they know
that Korean companies are the largest foreign direct investment. But I think that that's the mainstream
America that the Korean government and Korean companies should really help
educate the American public. And I would use the American citizens a lot more
to be their their ambassador."
" What are some
specific strengths you think American citizens should know about Korean
companies?"
"Infrastructure is
amazing. The people of Korea work very, very hard very, very efficiently. This
is a great market to test out new products. The digital side of it is amazing,
right? So those are the kind of aspects that people should know about Korea and
why Korea is an important market for them to even consider investing in and
doing business."
And the more the U.S.
and its people view Korea as an important market, the more investment and
partnerships will follow, which will naturally give Korea a greater leverage
against Trump's protectionist measures.
Lee Soo-jin, Arirang
News.
