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안녕하세요/Hello! It was a whirlwind trip to Seoul January 29-February 5th packing a month of meetings into one week while also making time for good food and good friends. I arrived in Seoul just after President Trump threatened an increase in tariffs and Coupang led the headlines which meant those two topics dominated all conversations. In addition to meeting with existing clients, I met with several companies interested in entering the U.S. market. Given the recent tariff threats in the wake of the 2025 trade deal and the November 13th Joint Fact Sheet that indicated a path forward for our two countries, companies and news outlets are eager for insights and news from Washington. Arirang TV invited me to the studio on February 3rd to offer my perspective on recent developments (first time ever to have an iron applied to my hair!). After VP Vance mentioned Coupang's situation in South Korea, and our Congress held hearings on the treatment of Coupang executives, I received many questions about whether Coupang could go back to the beloved supplier of everything to everyone and offered my take to Jane Moon in the Hankook Ilbo. While trade is the hot topic of the day, the US-ROK alliance remains central and critically important to all Koreans. Glad that I could lay out my thoughts on the topic in my recent article for CSDS—short version of the piece is that the alliance is strong and 2026 could see real evolution in the relationship as details about the nuclear sub deal come into focus and our presidents’ unorthodox approaches mean that they remain open to questioning past assumptions and policies. It was COLD in Seoul and there was a nice snowfall that seemed to keep the air clean so I could enjoy long walks on Cheonggyecheon each morning. I look forward to my next trip to Seoul May 19-28 for the Chosun Ilbo Asian Leadership Conference and another week of whirlwind meetings, food, and friends. Look out for posts on STARTUP as we build our service and take on our first clients to help others avoid some of the mistakes we made, establish a portfolio business, and build market expertise. That’s all for now. Happy Lunar New Year!
Henry + Jessica
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