By Rodel Alzona & Danielle Gabriel
THE Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (KCCP) is encouraging its countrymen to find a career path in the country.
According to KCCP President Ho-ik Lee, their Junior Chamber Committee is looking at ways for South Koreans studying in the country to find local jobs.
“South Korea is a mature economy, which makes it hard for it to jump to another level. The Philippines is an emerging market. If the students go back to Korea, it will be hard for them to find jobs,” Lee said.
He added, “Salary here in the Philippines is much lower but the opportunity is there. They can initially find work here, and then afterward start their own businesses.”
Lee said there are South Korean companies spread across the Philippines that could employ Koreans after completing their studies in the country. He also said Philippine companies are also open to employing South Koreans.
Lee estimated that there are more than 10,000 South Korean students in Metro Manila alone. He said most of them are studying to learn the English language, management courses, or are taking postgraduate courses. However, Lee clarified the trend changes every couple of years.
Lee believes the Philippines hold a lot of opportunities for South Korean students and fresh graduates who are looking to enter the services, retail, hotel and banking industries in the country.
Already, the SM Supermalls has shown willingness to open its doors to small-time and start-up businesses from foreign nationals.
During the KCCP’s Junior Chamber Committee seminar, SM Supermalls Senior Vice President for Operations Steven Tan said they are willing to provide opportunities to small businesses with unique concepts.
“People have the misconception that because it is SM, you have to open big and you have to invest a lot of money to be able to open a store. Of course, we have the big formats but we also have kiosks and counters and small businesses that we welcome,” Tan said.
He added, “I see a lot of young entrepreneurs who want to start business here. SM does not require that you have to open big. It is okay to start small with a kiosk or a small counter. We want new business. It’s good for the community. It is good for the country.”
Tan said they are willing to provide assistance to businesses without much capital but have interesting business concepts by connecting them to banks and other financial institutions.
Assistant Vice President for Business Development Gina Katigbak also said South Koreans can bank on the Philippine market’s demand for K-pop.
“There are a lot of outlets with Korean concepts, because the Philippines is a very young market. A lot of Filipinos consume Korea novelas. They love K-pop. Your culture, you can actually mine them into something that would really do well in the local market. We would love to have more food concepts that would bring the Korean flavor to a wider audience,” Katigbak said.