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AMCHAM,
CBRE pave road for Korean investors into U.S.
By Ko Dong-hwan,
The Korea Times - The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) on
Thursday hosted a seminar for Korean firms with plans to invest in the United
States, providing help on how to select local sites for investment.
AMCHAM and
global real estate giant CBRE's Korea Desk North America (KDNA) jointly hosted
the U.S. Site Selection Seminar 2025 in Seoul, dispatching its experts to share
their expertise with attendees. Marking CBRE’s first large-scale seminar here,
the event provided Korean companies with practical strategies and actionable
insights to expand successfully into the U.S. market.
“As Korean
companies accelerate their investments in the U.S., site selection has become
one of the most critical factors for long-term success," AMCHAM Korea
Chairman James Kim said. "It goes far beyond acquiring land. It requires
the right incentives, skilled talent, efficient logistics and strong local
partnerships."
He said a
surge in recent Korean investments into the U.S. has made the former the
largest foreign investor in America and a leading contributor to job creation
there.
"With new
commitments in semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, clean energy and
even shipbuilding, we are proud to support Korean companies at such a pivotal
stage of their U.S. expansion journey," he said.
Steven Chon,
executive vice president and co-lead of CBRE KDNA, said Korean businesses have
established a strong global footprint across industries in North America for
decades. He said CBRE created KDNA to connect Korean companies with the
specialized expertise they need to navigate cultural differences and the
complexities of U.S. real estate.
"Our role
is to advise Korean companies at every stage of growth, as they build, lease
and manage facilities across the Americas,” he said.
Jay Biggs,
deputy senior commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, also joined the
seminar. “Korean companies are recognized as global leaders in innovation, and
by investing in the U.S, they bring that innovation directly into American
communities, expanding U.S. industrial capacity and strengthening
competitiveness," he said. "This momentum is being driven not only by
large conglomerates but also by small and medium-sized enterprises that are
forging lasting commercial partnerships in the U.S.”
Senior
executives of CBRE highlighted key insights into site selection during the
seminar. Eric Stavriotis, vice chairman of the company's Leasing/Location
Incentives Practice, shared his insights into site selection strategies and the
importance of aligning real estate decisions with long-term competitiveness.
Christopher
Schastok, executive vice president of the company's Advisory & Transaction
Services Practice, elaborated on how location incentives can offset costs and
create a more favorable business environment for Korean investors.
Discussions
during the seminar underscored how site selection is deeply interconnected with
incentives, workforce, supply chain and project management. AMCHAM said the
attendees discussed strategies for immediate cost efficiencies as well as
insights critical to building a foundation for sustainable, long-term growth.
