Boeing: “Pushing ahead with Establishing R&D center in South Korea”

It has been reported that the biggest aircraft manufacturing company of the U.S., the Boeing Company, is working on establishing a R&D center, which is expected to function as a “hub of Asia,” in South Korea.

On February 11 at a press conference, the president of Boeing Korea William C. Oberlin announced, “We are working on funding a R&D center in South Korea, although it is in its initial stage. The head office in the U.S. considers South Korea as the first choice

among probable R&D center sites in the Asian area.”

The Boeing Company is currently operating overseas R&D centers in Russia, Australia, Spain and other areas, but there are none in the Asian region.

President Oberlin added, “A R&D center in South Korea will function as a hub that provides technology and parts to our several branches and factories in the Asian areas. Outstanding human resources and technology in the aircraft industry of South Korea have come along far enough to perform it.”

Although a source from Boeing Korea released that it has not made yet a rapid progress in discussing the amount to be invested in South Korea, the first investment for the Korea center is expected to be more than 10 billion won considering that 10 million dollars (approximate 11 billion won) was the initial amount invested in Spain’s “Boeing Research and Technology (R&T) Center.”

In November of last year, the Boeing Company reached an agreement instituting a supply-dump in Asia at the Gimhae factory with Korean Air Lines. It finally made a commercial contract for a FX project of Korea, worth about 4.4 billion dollars (approximate 5.1 thousand billion won) competing against Rafale of France.

Ho-Won Choi bestiger@donga.com