The Federation of Korean Industries New York Office (FKI) and the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the USA, Inc. (KOCHAM) will host the first in a series of three seminars designed to familiarize Korean executives with the importance, practice concepts that underlie corporate citizenship programs. The first seminar will be held at the Fort Lee Hilton in New Jersey on Tuesday morning, November 25, 1997 and the others will be held in Los Angeles and Seoul, Korea next year. These seminars will be produced under a grant from the Ford Foundation.

Corporate and foundation executives including: Barbara Bryan, President, N.Y. Regional Association of Grantmakers; Delwin A. Roy, President & CEO, The Hitachi Foundation; Gary Doran, Senior Vice President, AT&T Foundation; Ken Ishihara, VP & General Manager, Toshiba America, Inc.; Alan Okada, Vice President - Corporate Contributions, Citibank; and Frank J. Navran, Director of Training and Senior Consultant, Ethics Resource Center will deliver presentations to help Korean firms to gain the understanding and perspective necessary to develop their own corporate citizenship initiatives.

This seminar is part of a long-term effort which began earlier this year with the release of a research report organized by FKI and KOCHAM entitled "Confronting Korea's Public Image in the Age of Segyehwa (Globalization): Building Skills and Awareness to Compete in the Global Economy". This report highlighted the need for Korean firms to upgrade their management skills and to raise their public profile and the resources they devote to strengthening relationships on the local level.

KOCHAM Chairman Young Man Kim noted "While Korea is now experiencing severe economic difficulties, Korean companies understand the need to expand their international operations and their relationships in the communities in which they operate. FKI and KOCHAM are very pleased that the Ford Foundation has granted us this opportunity to develop our capabilities in this area and that we have been able to assemble highly-qualified speakers who can help us to learn from the past experiences of U.S. and Japanese firms."

FKI is a private, non-profit organization pursuing Korea's economic development and international cooperation based on the principles of free enterprise. Founded in 1961, FKI serves as a central forum and the most influential voice of the Korean private sector, representing Korea's largest businesses and business groups including Hyundai, Samsung, Daewoo, LG and Sunkyong.

KOCHAM is a non-for-profit private business organization headquartered in New York City. Founded in June 1992 to assist Korean firms expanding their U.S. operations, KOCHAM now includes over 600 member firms encompassing import-export, high tech, automotive, semiconductor, banking, shipping, securities, insurance and construction companies.

Journalists with an interest in attending KOCHAM's November 25, 1997 corporate citizenship seminar, or who are seeking additional information on the program or on FKI and KOCHAM activities are asked to contact Keith W. Rabin of KWR International at tel: 212-799-4294, fax: 212-799-0517, e-mail: kwrintl@kwrintl.com.