The Korea Times

Traditional PR shifting toward building trustable connection

Ben Boyd, president of Edelman’s Practices, Sectors and OfferingsEdelman stresses communications marketingBy Park Jin-haiBen Boyd, Edelman’s president of Practices, Sectors and Offerings, said that he has been living through the most fascinating and challenging time in the public relations (PR) sector.Coupled with using a hoard of different media channels, the role of PR firms has been evolving fast.“The pace of change is so fast. It feels like it’s changing almost daily,” he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at Edelman’s Seoul office during his stay.Communications marketingFor decades he said the PR was largely transactional — a company  launches a product and a PR agency creates a tactical plan to publicize the product.What stand at the center of that change is the move away from PR to “communications marketing,” he said. “If PR was transactional, communications marketing is behavioral in terms of how we work with our clients,” Boyd said.Today, PR companies create connection paths between a com

May 3, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Kolon settles dispute with DuPont

Korean firm pleads guilty to conspiring trade secretsBy Park Jin-haiKolon Industries, Korea’s leading textile maker, has settled a lawsuit with DuPont involving fiber used to make bulletproof vests, after pleading guilty to conspiring to steal the U.S. company’s trade secrets.It entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. chemical giant in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to pay $275 million to resolve its civil trade secrets dispute over DuPont’s para-aramid fiber, the high-tech fiber five times stronger than steel.Kolon has also entered a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, resolving all criminal charges against the company.It pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to convert trade secrets related to its para-aramid products and will pay an $85 million penalty, while the U.S. government has agreed to dismiss all other criminal charges filed against Kolon, including theft of trade secrets and obstruction of justice.The restitution and fine will be paid over the next five years.“Kolon is pleased to pu

May 1, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Lotte chief stresses importance of 'agile workers'

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, left, poses after giving the “Value Champion Awards” to Jang Chae-yoon, an employee of its retail affiliate 7-Eleven, during the 2015 Lotte Human Resource Forum at Lotte Hotel in Jamsil, Seoul, Monday./ Courtesy of Lotte GroupBy Park Jin-haiLotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin called for human resources (HR) officers of the group to nurture its employees into “agile human resources” at an HR forum, Monday.He said agile human resources are those who are fast to respond to change.“Despite initial failure, having continuous different trials to meet the demands of customers is what is required. Those agile decisions at each step create more business opportunities,” said Shin, during the 2015 Lotte Human Resource Forum at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.Some 550 recruitment, labor issues and education related employees from all the group’s affiliates participated in the forum.Shin’s philosophy will be actively used in this year’s recruitment process.From this year, Lotte has removed questions from its applica

Apr 27, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Hyundai Motor to set up body for shareholder rights

By Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor said Monday that it has decided to establish an independent committee through the board of directors to promote shareholders’ rights.The Corporate Governance and Communication Committee, comprised of four outside directors, is a follow-up measure to its March 13 general shareholders’ meeting, where shareholders requested that Hyundai come up with measures to protect their rights.“The committee will represent shareholders’ rights in major business issues such as mergers and acquisitions and acquiring major assets,” the company said in a statement.The board of directors’ meeting, Thursday, gave the green light for the establishment of the independent committee.“The committee’s outside director members will operate autonomously from the internal directors who are in charge of management of the company,” a company official said.Hyundai will place one committee member in charge of overseeing shareholder rights as an additional protective measure.The committee will annually release information on its activit

Apr 27, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Mercedes-Maybach offers peerless driving experience

/ Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz KoreaBy Park Jin-haiMercedes-Benz, marching with the motto of “Best or Nothing,” is revving up to elevate the level of driving in luxury. The three-pointed star has revived the prestigious Maybach gene of its most successful S-class sedan, and the result is the Mercedes-Maybach S-class.With a longer wheelbase and an extended body than the standard S-class, the stately and modern-looking Mercedes-Maybach S-class has drawn awe with a new level of exclusivity. “Mercedes-Maybach embodies ‘the best’ in its most exclusive form. Our goal is as follows: We want to offer our S-class customers not only the best car, but also what fits best to their individual and exclusive lifestyle,” said Johannes Reifenrath, the company’s director of product strategy and planning, during a recent media event in San Francisco.“In parallel to the sporty positioning of Mercedes-AMG, we are using Mercedes-Maybach to create a new offering in the exclusive top segment. We launched the Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand in November 2014.&

Apr 26, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Mercedes-Maybach offers peerless driving experience

Luxurious comfort

Companies

Luxurious comfort

/ Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz KoreaBy Park Jin-haiThe luxury offered by Mercedes-Maybach S-class cannot be replicated.This super luxury sedan is overwhelming at first glance, giving the impression that it is not just an extended version of the S-class.Yet, apart from the stately beauty of the exterior, what makes it “genuine” luxury is inside with the executive lounge-style back seats.As the saloon is designed largely as “chauffeur-driven,” I had the luxury of being seated in the back seat of a chauffer-driven Mercedes-Maybach S600 for an hour drive between the commercial district of Yeoksam and the small alley streets of Bukchon on a sunny Thursday morning. Simply put, the drive gave the feeling of being served in a first-class suite, not traveling in a car.Sitting in a large size nappa leathered executive seat with the seat massage function on was a comfortable experience that one wouldn’t get in a car normally.The leg room seemed enough even for the tallest people to stretch their legs. But, when the front passenger seat was folded forward and my s

Apr 26, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Mercedes-Maybach offers peerless driving experience

Companies

Park travels in Equus in Brazil

A Hyundai Motor luxury Equus sedan waits for Korean President Park Geun-hye to arrive at Brazil’s Brasilia International Airport, Thursday. The President used the bullet-proof Equus during her three-day visit that ended on April 25. The vehicle was provided at Cheong Wa Dae’s request — the first time Park has used a Korean vehicle on official overseas visits. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiHyundai Motor’s luxury sedan Equus has been chosen as President Park Geun-hye’s car on her Brazil visit.Park used the bullet proof Equus sedan all throughout her three-day visit to Brazil between April 23 and 25, company officials said Sunday.This is the first time the President has driven in a local manufacturer’s car on her official overseas mission since she took office in 2013.Customarily, presidents on official visit use vehicles provided by the host nation.  This time, however, a Hyundai was provided at the request of Cheong Wa Dae.The presidential office’s pick of Equus reflects its intent to promote Hyundai Motor that has set up a produc

Apr 26, 2015By Park Jin-hai

People & Events

'Venture firms face challenges to survival'

Shim Dong-hoBy Park Jin-haiShim Dong-ho, CEO of NuriVision, a Seoul-based anti-spam solution provider, says that venture firms holding source technologies face a business environment hostile to their survival in Korea. “For service firms such as Kakao Talk to survive in Korea is relatively easy. But, it is extremely difficult for a small tech firm holding source technology to survive,” he said.The reason is because conglomerates want to buy out the source technology from venture firms at cheaper prices, but don’t want to share the profits with the firms.“It seems hard to imagine a future where big companies such as Google grow with the smaller venture firms together.”   His firm received a Venture Award in 2008 from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, a predecessor to the Ministry and Trade, Industry and Energy, in recognition of his firm’s innovative technology that reduces spam emails by 99 percent.   NuriVision, once regarded as an exemplary venture firm having annual sales of 680 million won, suffered a setback last year

Apr 23, 2015By Park Jin-hai

'Venture firms face challenges to survival'

Companies

ApexInfo platform develops meat trading system

ApexInfo CEO Kim Dong-won delivers congratulatory remarks during a presentation on its business-to-business online meat trading system at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of ApexInfoBy Park Jin-haiKorean livestock product trade platform developer ApexInfo has started an innovative business-to-business online trading system for meat products.“The distribution costs always burdened the meat market here, taking almost half the total costs,” said ApexInfo CEO Kim Dong-won on Friday, during a presentation to investors at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Seoul. “Our online meat bidding system, Apex Meat Trading System (MTS), can effectively cut the distribution costs as well as return more margins for each trader.”  The MTS is similar to the stock trading system, where wholesale sellers and buyers can bid using more than 150,000 standardized codes by the kind of meat, origin, brand, grade, storage plant location, packaging methods and date of butchery.      “In traditional e-commerce, suppliers post their product

Apr 19, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Companies

Renault Samsung's QM3 rides on clever ad

A Renault Samsung online ad for its compact SUV QM3 bears a line saying: “Bring it on, Mini.” Internet users posted positive comments on the company’s provocative ads posted on its Facebook account./ Captured from Renault Samsung’s Facebook accountBy Park Jin-haiRenault Samsung has driven an aggressive online ad campaign, provoking its rivals and conjuring up expectations for its QM3 compact SUV special edition.In a series of teaser ads on its Facebook page, the automaker threw down the gauntlet to MINI and Volkswagen.It recently posted an ad saying: “Bring it on, Mini,” and ran the second ad that read “Bring it on, Golf,” before the release of the new QM3 on April 15.In response, MINI replied: “Did you call me? I’m MINI, not Mini.”Netizens have shown positive responses to Renault Samsung’s marketing campaign.In its finally released video clip, posted on Wednesday, it depicted the QM3 as football players lined up in formation. The compact SUV QM3 on the screen picks a fight with its rivals, saying &ldqu

Apr 17, 2015By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Traditional PR shifting toward building trustable connection

Kolon settles dispute with DuPont

Lotte chief stresses importance of 'agile workers'

Hyundai Motor to set up body for shareholder rights

Mercedes-Maybach offers peerless driving experience

Luxurious comfort

Park travels in Equus in Brazil

'Venture firms face challenges to survival'

ApexInfo platform develops meat trading system

Renault Samsung's QM3 rides on clever ad

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