[ESG Seminar 2023] AMCHAM stresses S. Korea-US ties after NK fires 'space launch vehicle'
AMCHAM stresses S.
Korea-US ties after NK fires 'space launch vehicle'
By Park Jae-hyuk,
The Korea Times - Instead of being panicked by the Seoul Metropolitan
Government's erroneous alert over North Korea's firing of what it claimed to be
a "space launch vehicle" on Wednesday morning, American
businesspeople here regarded the incident as further proof of the importance of
the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. During the American
Chamber of Commerce in Korea's (AMCHAM) ESG seminar held a couple of hours
after the false alarm surprised the Korean capital's 10 million residents,
AMCHAM Chairman James Kim said in his opening remarks that a "very
interesting wake-up call" this morning proved the importance of the two
countries' relations. "Now with Japan
and Korea having really improved their ties, it's just great news for everybody
here in the business community," he said. The seminar was also
attended by Joy M. Sakurai, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in
Seoul. "Me being here
today is to reinforce how the U.S. Embassy in Seoul ― the whole U.S. government
― is committed to ensuring that American citizens, visitors to Korea and
companies are safe here," she said in her congratulatory remarks. "We
work very closely with our Korean government counterparts to ensure that all
measures are taken to make sure that you're able to live, work and enjoy Korea
safely." She also emphasized
joint efforts by the alliance for the prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region,
saying that the recent Pacific Island Forum sponsored by the Korean government
will help make the region a safer and more viable place for future generations. "As we
implement our leaders' shared vision with an eye toward the alliance's next 70
years, we look to AMCHAM and all of its member companies here to give us ideas
on how the United States and Korea can deepen collaboration on our shared
global challenges," she said. After her
congratulatory remarks, representatives of the governments and companies of
Korea and the U.S. talked about the latest business trend of pursuing
sustainability. Despite the emergency text message sent early in the morning,
the participants, including Novelis Asia President Sachin Satpute were not
absent from the seminar. "Foreign
businesspeople in Korea are immune to North Korea's provocative actions, as
most of them have lived here for a long time," one of the event's
participants said. Domestic stock and
foreign exchange markets were not affected by the projectile launch either. Foreign investors
rather showed a strong buying trend during Wednesday's trading session. As a
result, the benchmark KOSPI closed at 2,577.12, down 0.32 percent from the
previous session's close. The tech-heavy Kosdaq rose 0.64 percent to 856.94,
and the foreign exchange rate stood around 1,320 won per dollar. Analysts said the
projectile launch had a limited impact on the market, as it had been
forewarned. "The
geopolitical risk over North Korea has not affected the securities
market," Hyundai Motor Securities analyst Lee Jae-sun said. Source: https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/06/419_352058.html?utm_source=nans
2023.06.01