HMM starts headquarters operations in Busan with about 120 staff
In short
HMM began operating its Busan headquarters on October 12, with about 120 staff working in temporary offices. President Lee Jae-myung attended a ceremony marking the relocation on October 13.
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HMM has begun headquarters operations in Busan, initially bringing together about 120 employees in temporary offices. Operations started on October 12, and a ceremony to mark the relocation took place the following day. President Lee Jae-myung attended, joining HMM employees and other participants in unveiling the company logo that had previously been installed at its Seoul headquarters. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
The temporary headquarters occupies rented space in a DB Insurance building in Bujeon-dong, Busanjin District. It includes the chief executive's office. About 90 employees previously working in HMM's Busan sales operation are among the initial 120 staff. Yonhap noted that this is a little over 10% of the company's roughly 900 domestic employees. [ 2 ]
HMM plans to place additional employees in Busan through internal recruitment and other procedures. Yonhap reported that a full shift to Busan could take time if few employees volunteer. Chosun Ilbo said labor-management discussions would determine the Seoul office's organization, the number of employees moving and assistance with housing and education. [ 1 , 2 ]
The move followed a labor-management agreement in late April and an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on May 8 that approved changing the headquarters location to Busan. HMM plans to build a new headquarters in the North Port area. ZDNet Korea reported that the company expects closer cooperation from management, sales and maritime departments working in the same space. [ 2 , 5 , 12 ]
At the October 13 visit, Lee asked staff transferred from Seoul about life in Busan and difficulties settling in, stressing the importance of employee satisfaction. The government says the relocation will help strengthen Busan's maritime industry cluster and is pursuing related moves involving the maritime ministry and shipping companies. [ 5 ]
Why it matters
The initial Busan workforce represents a little over 10% of HMM's roughly 900 domestic employees. The government sees the headquarters move as part of plans to concentrate maritime administration and industry in Busan.
Key facts
- HMM began headquarters operations in Busan on October 12. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- About 120 employees initially work there, including roughly 90 from the existing Busan sales operation. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Lee Jae-myung attended the relocation ceremony on October 13. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- HMM plans additional staff transfers and a new headquarters building in Busan's North Port. [ 2 , 6 , 12 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The initial number of staff transferred from Seoul. Chosun Ilbo's headline says 20, while its article and Korea Economic Daily report about 30.
- The scale and timing of further staff transfers. Reports say additional staffing and relocation support will be determined through recruitment procedures and labor-management discussions.