South Korea to Buy Yuan-Denominated Assets

Heung-sik CHOO, director-general of the Bank of Korea (BOK) stated to Bloomberg that the BOK may purchase RMB-denominated (Chinese yuan) assets.  The news may trigger most Asian economies to consider more investments in China-currency denominated assets. At present, the only other developed country that has announced plans to invest in RMB-denominated assets with foreign currency reserves is Japan. The Director General noted that the BOK will begin by only investing in Chinese government bonds.  The investment is expected to be

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4 Korean Companies on Thomson Reuters 2011 Top 100 Global Innovator List

Four Korean-headquartered companies have been named by Thomson Reuters as 100 Top Global Innovators.  The four companies listed were Cheil Industries, LG Electronics, LS Industrial Systems and Samsung Electronic. The only Asian country with companies on the list, this year, is Japan.  Japan has 27 of its companies on the list.  So yes, no China on the list. America leads the list with 40 companies followed by France (11), Sweden (6) and Switzerland (3). Any companies left off the list

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Will the Failure to Pass the KOR-US FTA by Korean NA Harm Korea?

The KOR-US FTA has a great likelihood of not passing the Korea National Assembly this year, because of the resistance of radical liberals and the inactivity of the GNP and the Administration.   The GNP fears that pushing the bill onto the floor of the National Assembly will cause an election defeat in the elections next year. I fear that Korea will be greatly harmed by the peculiar behavior of the liberals and cowardliness of the GNP leadership and conservative presidential

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The China Law Blog by IPG’s China Practice Team

IPG is proud to announce the launch of IPG’s The China Law Blog.  The China Law Team will be posting, at least, four posts per week on issues concerning China law, litigation, law firms, law amendments and lawyers. We welcome your questions and comments.  The blog may be found at: www.thechinalawblog.com___________SeanHayes@ipglegal.com

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The Korean Law Blog Meets the China Law Blog in Beijing for a Discussion of the Ages

I will be in Beijing tomorrow and Sunday to visit with my good friends at the China Law Blog. Old China hat Steve will be giving a talk on China and the WTO at an event that should be interesting and hopefully doesn’t land Steve in the clink. Here is a remark from the China Law Blog on the event. CLB’s own Steve Dickinson will be one half of a two person discussion this Sunday, October 16, at 3:00 p.m.,

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Korea: “Connected Yes, Competitive Maybe.” Korea – Beware of the Dragon to the North.

Sang-Hun CHOE posted a great article in the New York Times quoting IPG’s Senior Commercial Advisor Tom Coyner in an article entitled – Connected Yes, Competitive Maybe. Mr. CHOE emphatically notes that: But being hyper-connected is not the same as being hyper competitive. Connectivity on its own does not bring productivity or happiness. It does not necessarily even bring foreign investment. And for all its positives, Seoul’s connectivity comes with some downsides. For starters, the city is home to the

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The Asian Law Blog

We are proud to announce the introduction of the Asian Law & Business Blog. The blog is a work in progress, but will include updates on Korea, China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines law. The motivation for the blog is the fact that I don’t only work in Korea and I am engaged in numerous projects in Asia Korea, China, India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States. At present the blog includes, mainly,

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As China Goes, So Goes the World: How Chinese Consumers are Changing Everything

My friends over at the China Law Blog wrote a post on a book that I bought based on my careless reading of their post. As I mentioned in previous posts, China Law Blog is, simply, the best blog on China Law and should be read daily if you are interested in the Chinese legal system or doing business with or for the Chinese. The book mentioned in their post is entitled: As China Goes, So Goes the World: How

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Korea Due Diligence: Not So Different From China

Steve Dickson wrote a great article entitled China Due Diligence. Not Optional – that I will steal and copy at length. His article appears on the China Law Blog. Most companies are not aware that due diligence is required whenever you do any kind of business with a Chinese company. If you do not already know the Chinese company with which you will be conducting business, you must confirm that the company really does exit and that you are dealing

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Enter the Korean Market – Then Enter China and Japan

Secretary General Jean – Jacques Grauhar made many interesting comments in the EU Chamber’s August 2011 issue of Infomag. He is the most Texas looking Frechman I have ever met. On another side note, I hope the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea catches up to the EU Chamber in Korea. The EUCCK is producing much better magazine content and much better programs for members. I am not sure if the EUCCK has more resources than AMCHAM, but when I

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