The Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea-US Alliance Foundation on Wednesday to support the employment of US Forces Korea veterans and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The signing ceremony was held in Seoul and was attended by KCCI Executive Vice Chair Park Il-jun, KUSAF Chair Leem Ho-young and Robert Abrams, president of the Korea Defense Veterans and former commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.
Under the agreement, the two organizations will launch an online job platform linking Korean companies operating in the United States with US veterans who have either completed or are nearing the end of their service in Korea.
KCCI will manage the platform and promote it to companies, while KUSAF will guide veterans and encourage their participation.
The initiative is designed to provide veterans with access to gainful civilian employment, while offering Korean firms disciplined, culturally adaptable talent. Beyond recruitment benefits, companies that employ US veterans can also access financial incentives such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides up to $9,600 per hire.
“This program is a genuine win-win,” said Park. “Veterans secure quality jobs, while Korean companies gain dedicated employees familiar with Korean culture.”
Leem added that the agreement represents “meaningful recognition” for the 28,500 US troops currently stationed in Korea, helping to boost morale and making service in Korea more attractive.
The platform will officially launch in October, following its introduction at the Alliance Veterans Conference.
hyelimchung@heraldcorp.com
