Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cmxc]

I’ve noticed a recurring pattern in the years I have spent working and living in Korea. Korean organizations, including corporations, institutes of higher learning, and even branches of the Korean government have scouted and recruited high profile overseas talent to bring her or his professional expertise to Korea and help advance Korea’s standards.

Examples of importing foreign expertise to raise the standard of Korean organizational performance include Gus Hiddink as coach of the Korean national soccer team, the various foreign executives hired by LG Electronics, KAIST hiring Nobel laureates as university presidents, the Korean National Pension Service bringing in a high level foreign Chief Investment Officer, etc. There are many examples of bringing in foreign expertise to help improve Korea.

However, in virtually every instance the professional either leaves as soon as possible, or does not even finish his or her contract. Korean organizations bring in foreign professionals to benefit from their expertise and outside perspective, but then turn around and completely marginalize them and ignore or fight every significant change recommended by the foreign talent.

Why do Korean organizations bother? Why spend the huge sums of money recruiting and relocating foreign experts to come to Korea, and then completely waste their talents and expertise?
It seems as if the only thing Korean organizations really want is for high profile foreign experts to serve as tokens to show that Korean organizations are truly “global.” In reality, no matter how many photos are taken of foreign talent making kimchi, or dancing “Gangman style,” Korea remains in a primitive and backward mindset where the infrastructure and resources that enabled foreign professionals to achieve success are so woefully lacking in Korea that the foreign experts take the first possible chance to leave Korea and return to civilization.

Do Korean organizations truly wish to have long term foreign staff, and do they treat them as full members of the organizations they are often tapped to lead?
What long term incentives to foreign professionals have to make Korea their homes and truly invest in making a difference here? Should they embrace the poktan-ju culture and room salons and the whoring that seems to be the hallmark of Korean leadership at the government and corporate level?
It is an absurd joke that recurs again and gain. Korea only seems to progress, but deep down, Korea will never change.
The recent departure of a Nobel laureate at SNU is just another example of this recurring phenomenon:
Nobel laureate quits SNU
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/12/116_148530.html

[misher]

Peter Schreyer at Kia seems to be doing ok.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

[hellofaniceguy]

When you look at the overall picture....and the latest foreign born departure...the SNU head leaving after one year....these folks are eloquent with their words for early departures, by not putting the blame where it lies.
I on the other hand have no qualms about speaking out...The fact remains...koreans are their own worst enemy...especially the men.
The younger generation seems to be coming around and more open to accepting change....but it's the over 30 crowd that controls korea and these guys just don't seem to want outsiders involved in their affairs....even though they ask for help.

[salutbonjour]

SNU bought 3 more nobel laureates from Israel for 2 years giving them each 1 million dollars a year in research funding... plus their own unspecified salary.

If it can't be bought with a lot of money, offer a ton of money.

[Weigookin74]

They had to leave because they didn't do what their ajossi told them to do.

[ATM SPIDERTAO]

[quote="misher"]Peter Schreyer at Kia seems to be doing ok.[/quote]

Peter Schreyer was given essentially full control of what KIA cars could look like and he changed KIA's brand image and now is the chief design officer for BOTH hyundai and Kia

too bad he wanted to quit this year lol

and then they gave him a promotion to full president (previously executive vice president)

let's see if he wants to stay longer. the K9 TANKED so there's clearly a limit to what he can do =)

but the biggest thing is, Koreans are not ready to adopt a new different way of working. they want change Because they feel like it will be good for the company but when it happens, they're completely shocked and cannot operate on the same way that they want. it's difficult because imagine you're in a business doing things in your own western way and then top management decides to hire a korean boss who is going to be in charge of EVERYTHING. the korean guy comes along and demands to do things his way and everyone gets frustrated and confused and things start to revert back to the regular way. for example, someone was talking about room salons and prostitution. well, imagine you hire a korean boss who wants to do stuff like this and the employees go "you can't do this! this isn't how things work in our country". Well, you can bet the korean boss is gonna get upset that things aren't the way they like it back at home and might eventually leave. kind of a silly example but i'm just trying to make a point. btw, LG's executives all got fired. cuz even though they were making LG more westernized, the company SUCKED after and reverted back to its heirarchical korean way and it's bouncing back. lolz

[Steelrails]

Free agent talent selling out to the highest bidder decides to leave for other opportunities? Shocking!

[atwood]

[atwood]

[jvalmer]

[Weigookin74]

This rigid culture kills creativity. Most countries of earth seem to have some type of heirarchial approach (though not confucianism in the same way of course). It's the power of the ajossi and saving face that becomes most important. Even in Europe, during the Middle Ages, there was this hostile attitude to leavings one's station in life. Making money and innovating were seen as evil and a threat to the powers that be.

This makes many western democracies, in the Anglosphere unique and why these countries grew and dominated because they allowed free thought and expression. Britian often villified in early American history but was much freer than Continential Europe. Merchant power grew and innovation began with the cotton and lumber mills, etc. On the continent, you did what your King and nobles told you to do. It's why Britian was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and America grew huge later on, along with many other countries, like Canada and Australia.

While no race of humans are superior to others, however, cultural norms such as equality, free speech, and lack of rigidness does allow for new technology and invention. Where did the itnernet come from, the PC, smart phones, etc. These things were not invented in Asia.

Korea, Japan, etc can do as they please. It is their country and their right to do so. But, only by dismantling these barriers will they begin to make their economies and products stronger. Sure, they will have some successes. But, they always run into limitations. Japan has been in the dump for how many years? They can't bring it upon themselves to change their cultural habits and remove the rigidness. Korea is harder to tell. Will they follow Japan or go in a different way? Korea did sign the FTA after all.



I do know that in Geoje and similiar places, they have to bring in foriegn engineers because Korean ones lack creativity for many projects. Study, study, study isn't everything. Asian countries need to eliminate the importance of the exam. But, will they? Probably not in our lifetimes. In the west there are lots of "B" and "C" average students that are quite smart and quite creative who can prove themselves in a job. They never get the chance here. "A" students are often good at memorizing but lacking in some types of creativity.

[Popocatepetl]

[jvalmer]

[Steelrails]