The First Korean-American AmCham Chair... 'Tennis Mania' Playing 4-5 Times a Week

Who is James Kim...

The office of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AmCham) located inside the IFC Mall in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. After passing the entrance and turning a corner, you come to the office of James Kim, CEO and Chairman of AmCham, where sports-related items are displayed throughout. Right in the center of the white wall as you enter the office hangs a uniform signed by the world-renowned basketball star James LeBron (39, LA Lakers) and a tennis racket above and below it. The tennis racket is a product of the famous American sports brand ‘Wilson.’ Chairman Kim serves as an ambassador for this brand. He smiled and explained, "I received it as a gift."

James Kim, Chairman of AmCham, poses before an interview with Asia Economy at the Seoul Yeouido office. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

According to business and political circles, Chairman Kim is a ‘self-proclaimed’ sports enthusiast. He especially likes tennis. Despite being busy with various current issues these days, he said he goes to play tennis whenever he has time. Chairman Kim said, "Including Saturdays and Sundays, sometimes I play 4 to 5 times a week." Tennis also appears to be an important business tool for him. Among the many framed photos in his office, there was a group photo of a tennis gathering taken a long time ago. The photo he personally introduced to the reporter included prominent figures from politics and business who are well-known tennis enthusiasts.

Chairman Kim was born in Korea in 1962 and is a Korean-American who moved to the United States at the age of eight. He immigrated to Guam at age eight following his father, who was the head of the AIG branch in the U.S. He later earned a bachelor's degree in economics from UCLA and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. He entered the business world working at the AT&T headquarters. At AT&T, he was in charge of marketing at headquarters and served as CEO of Corcoran.com and Vivian International, and also worked as the head of the consulting firm ‘Palisades Advisors’ in New York. In February 2009, he became the CEO of Microsoft Korea. In June 2015, he was appointed CEO and President of GM Korea, overseeing about 17,000 employees and managing all operations of GM Korea, including domestic sales, manufacturing, distribution, and design. At that time, he also managed GM’s joint venture in Uzbekistan. Recognized for his career and capabilities, he was appointed CEO and Chairman of AmCham in July 2017. He is the first Korean-American to become chairman of AmCham.

He is known for valuing communication and teamwork, and is highly regarded not only for his abilities but also for his excellent interpersonal skills. He reportedly introduces himself in various profiles as "highly competitive." When he was president of Microsoft Korea, he famously showed employees a black-and-white TV clip of boxer Hong Soo-hwan’s ‘4 wins in 5 tries’ match, where Hong was knocked down four times but won by KO in the third round in the junior featherweight inaugural title match held in Panama in the 1970s. This story is well-known for stimulating competitiveness and improving work efficiency.