[The Interview] Korean companies should "use American citizens as ambassadors" to navigate Trump tariff era: AMCHAM CEO James Kim

Korean businesses, like many others in the world, are facing challenges in today's turbulent trade environment.

Our Lee Soo-jin spoke with the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea on how they can navigate this uncertain landscape.

U.S. President Donald Trump's hard-line tariff agenda is fueling rapid, unpredictable shifts in the global trading landscape.

South Korean companies are among those heavily impacted, which is why they are actively exploring new strategies to adapt to the shifting environment.

We sat down with the President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul on Tuesday, who spoke highly of the contributions that Korean companies have made to the U.S. economy.

"I think that Korean companies have done an amazing job. If you take a look at the past three years, Korean companies have made around 140 billion dollars worth of investment in America, making them the largest foreign direct investor in the United States. So if you are an American politician a governor or even the president of the United States I think you have to recognize the big contributions that Korean companies have made."

But while Korean companies' contributions have been significant, more effort is needed to raise awareness of both these contributions and their broader strengths, particularly among the American public.

"If you talked to an average American citizen who's living in Illinois, I don't think they know that Korean companies are the largest foreign direct investment. But I think that that's the mainstream America that the Korean government and Korean companies should really help educate the American public. And I would use the American citizens a lot more to be their their ambassador."

" What are some specific strengths you think American citizens should know about Korean companies?"

"Infrastructure is amazing. The people of Korea work very, very hard very, very efficiently. This is a great market to test out new products. The digital side of it is amazing, right? So those are the kind of aspects that people should know about Korea and why Korea is an important market for them to even consider investing in and doing business."

And the more the U.S. and its people view Korea as an important market, the more investment and partnerships will follow, which will naturally give Korea a greater leverage against Trump's protectionist measures.

Lee Soo-jin, Arirang News.