It's worth all efforts
Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jick, fifth from left in the front row, poses with guests during a meeting ahead of Foreign Investors Forum at Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Friday. From left in the front row are Lili Luo, Tribeluga president; Sergio Rocha, GM Korea president; Rep. Chun Soon-ok of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy; Lee Chang-sup, president-publisher of The Korea Times; Yoon; Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy; James Kim, Microsoft Korea country manager; Kim Hyo-joon, BMW Korea CEO; Lee Byoung-gook, administrator of the Korea Agency for Saemangeum Development and Investment; Park Jong-bok, SC Bank Korea president; and John Aristianto Prasetio, Indonesia ambassador. Other participants from left in the second row are Andre Schmidtgall, retail manager of IKEA Korea; Johannes Thammer, Audi Korea CEO; Martin Tricaud, HSBC Korea CEO; Frederico Freire, Oriental Brewery CEO; Koro Bessho, Japanese Ambassador; Jeffrey D. Jones, chairman of the board of partners for Future Foundation; Francois Provost, Renault Samsung CEO; and Calvin Kang, Uber Korea general manager.
A hint of anxiety often precedes the actual hosting of an event involving a large number of guests.
This was the case before The Korea Times Foreign Investors Forum 2015 that was held in the form of a breakfast meeting at the Plaza Hotel, Friday.
At 6:30 a.m., an hour before the official start of the event, hotel employees were busy setting the tables, while Times staff were checking to ensure there were no mistakes in the seating arrangements. A video clip was being previewed as part of a check-box routine.
Korea Times Publisher and President Lee Chang-sup opens the Foreign Investors Forum 2015 organized by The Korea Times at the Plaza Hotel, downtown Seoul, Friday.
Looking at rows of empty tables, one could wonder if they would be filled with people, an organizer’s fear being that guests would not come.
But that fear proved unfounded as guests started to arrive, first twos and threes. Then, lines of people started to file in.
The guests introduced themselves and bantered with each other in an interesting example of networking among executives, diplomats and politicians. The emcee had to direct everyone to their seats repeatedly to get the forum going.
Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jick spoke to the crowd and fielded questions from guests. The mood was intense, friendly and informative, according to guests. Minister Yoon did not mind engaging in a question-and-answer session, even after his appointed time to leave, and was satisfied with the results of the event, according to his aide.
Joris Dierckx, right, country manager of BNP Paribas Korea, talks with Adi Ofek, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Korea, at The Korea Times’ Foreign Investors Forum 2015 at the Plaza Hotel in downtown Seoul, Friday.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang-jick gives the keynote speech at the Foreign Investors Forum 2015 hosted by The Korea Times in the Plaza Hotel, downtown Seoul, Friday.
Lee Byoung-gook, right, administrator of the Korea Agency for Saemangeum Development and Investment, reads The Korea Times with Uber Korea general manger Calvin Kang ahead of the Foreign Investors Forum 2015 at the Plaza Hotel in downtown Seoul, Friday.
IKEA Korea Retail Manager Andre Schmidtgall enters the Foreign Investors Forum 2015 at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul, Friday. The Swedish furniture giant opened its first Korean outlet at Gwangmyeong, 14 kilometers west of Seoul, in December.
Sergio Rocha, GM Korea president, left, and Yoon Sang-jick, trade, industry and energy minister.
L'Oreal Korea President Yann Le Bourdon, left, and IKEA Korea Retail Manager Andre Schmidtgall.
Clockwise from front left are Johannes Thammer, Audi Korea CEO; Francois Provost, Renault Samsung CEO; Kim Hyo-joon, BMW Korea CEO; Lili Luo, Tribeluga president; Yoon Sang-jick, trade, industry and energy minister; Sergio Rocha, GM Korea president; Koro Bessho, Japanese ambassador; Rep. Chun Soon-ok of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy and Frederico Freire, Oriental Brewery CEO.
Kim Hyo-joon, BMW Korea CEO
William Paterson, Australian ambassador
Jerome Pasquier, French ambassador
Martin Tricaud, HSBC Korea CEO
Joris Dierckx, general manager of BNP Paribas Korea
Bill Miner, country chairman of Chevron Korea
Rep. Choo Mi-ae of of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy
Joe Erlinger, McDonald's Korea managing director, left, and Park Jong-bok, SC Bank Korea president.
Jeffrey D. Jones, chairman of the board of partners for Future Foundation
Bill Miner, country chairman of Chevron Korea, left, and Lee Byoung-gook, administrator of the Korea Agency for Saemangeum Development and Investment.
Frederico Freire, Oriental Brewery CEO,left, and Johannes Thammer, Audi Korea CEO.
Sergio Rocha, GM Korea president, left, and James Kim, Microsoft Korea country manager.
John Aristianto Prasetio, left, Indonesia Ambassador and Andre Schmidtgall, retail manager of IKEA Korea.
/ Korea Times Photos by Shim Hyun-chul and Choi Won-suk