Siemens to set up Asia head office in Seoul

Siemens Korea Chairman Kim Jong-kap

By Kim Yoo-chul

Siemens said Tuesday it has chosen Korea as its Asia Pacific headquarters for its energy solution business.

“Siemens will set up its energy solution business headquarters in Korea and we will use the regional hub as a qualified training center to supply highly-educated engineers, globally,’’ said Kim Jong-kap, chairman of Siemens Korea, in a news conference at the Seoul Plaza Hotel.

Kim said the headquarters will hire some 100 skilled workers including high profile foreign engineers by the end of this year and stressed the numbers will be expanded to 500 through 2017.

“This is a milestone for Korean engineering-related industries as Korean engineers will go into the mainstream for the development of Siemens’ next technologies, eventually,” the chairman told reporters.

The head office will open in October of this year and focus on handling fossil fuel projects in Asia Pacific, including the Middle East, and other energy solution-related businesses.

Korea is the second country to host the company’s engineering headquarters, which Siemens identified as one of its next cash-generators, after the United States, Kim said.

The chairman said the firm was also considering Hong Kong and Singapore but selected Korea for its many advantages, such as skilled human resources.