HRCap CEO Andrew Sungsoo Kim: “Secure the Right Talent First before Investing in the U.S. during the Trump Era”

>>HRCap 김성수 대표 “트럼프시대 美투자 앞서 인재 우선 뽑아야”<<

Original Publication by EDAILY, June 7, 2025

Translated into English by HRCap

“Securing talent must come before investment. Before building and launching a manufacturing plant in the U.S., Korean organizations must first secure the people who will operate it. Business is people, and people are business. There is no business without people.”

CEO Andrew Sungsoo Kim at HRCap in an interview with EDAILY (Source: EDAILY)

Andrew Sungsoo Kim, Founder, CEO & President of HRCap, the largest Asian American Global Executive Search & HR Consulting firm in the United States, emphasized that talent is the most overlooked issue in the ongoing wave of Korean organizations entering the U.S. market, especially amid the anticipated acceleration under a second Trump administration. Having advised corporations on recruitment and organizational strategy in the U.S. for over 30 years, CEO Kim stated in a recent interview, “Factories and capital are important, but ultimately, it's people who run them. Without people, there is no business.”

CEO Kim noted that the talent shortage in U.S. manufacturing is especially severe. “In Georgia, the starting annual salary for manufacturing workers is over $70,000 (about 100 million KRW), yet companies still struggle to find workers,” he said. He pointed out that many Korean organizations make the critical mistake of developing business plans without corresponding workforce plans when entering the U.S., a misstep that often leads to failure. “If you pick a good plot of land, build the factory, and then say ‘Please help us hire people,’ it’s already too late. These days, hiring talent is the hardest part,” he stressed.

Of course, labor costs in the U.S. are more than double those in Korea, which can reduce efficiency. While companies may enter the U.S. market to avoid tariffs, rising operational costs could further erode profitability. CEO Kim advised, “A labor-intensive model won’t work. The key lies in combining automation, smart factories, and high-level talent. It’s essential to strategically design the workforce alongside the technology to shift toward a profitable model.”

Recruitment standards must evolve as well. As localization becomes more important, more organizations are favoring local talent who understand the culture and market over candidates who only speak Korean. “We now need local talent who understand the U.S. culture and also respect Korean corporate culture,” said CEO Kim. “In the past, centralized control from headquarters was seen as efficient. But today, autonomous leadership that aligns with the U.S. market is far more effective.” He added, “Just as Hyundai Motor Company appointed a local CEO for its U.S. subsidiary, HR strategies must be fully restructured to enable leaders with cultural, market, and operational awareness to lead.”

CEO Kim also noted that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing people’s roles in the workplace. “We’re entering an era where AI handles not only repetitive tasks but also project management and decision-making,” he said. “Human value is no longer about ‘what you can do well,’ but ‘what you can do better than AI.’” He stressed, “In an age where AI takes center stage, the focus should not be on competition, but on collaboration. Humans bring empathy and imagination; AI brings efficiency and speed. We must redesign organizational structures and roles so these two forces can coexist productively.”

CEO Andrew Sungsoo Kim and CMO Stella H. Kim (Source: EDAILY)

CEO Kim, who started as an HR officer for LG in the 1990s, was dispatched to the U.S. before founding HRCap in 2000, at a time when executive search was still largely undeveloped. He now leads a global team of 100 professionals and has grown HRCap into a premier Asian American HR consulting firm with over 1,500 client partnerships, including major Korean conglomerates like Samsung, SK, LG, and Hanwha, as well as global firms like Amazon, Google, and JPMorgan. His eldest daughter, Stella Kim, who had closely observed his journey, left her career at IBM in 2016 to join the company as a specialist in organizational and business management consulting.

To commemorate HRCap’s 25th anniversary this year, Kim presented three key themes for sustainable growth: Legacy, Magnetism, and Connection. He defined these as “internal standards built on professional expertise,” “brand energy derived from organizational philosophy and culture,” and “context-driven, sustainable partnerships.” Kim concluded, “Through these three core values, HRCap aims to elevate as a symbolic brand that leads the era.”

By Sangyoon Kim, EDAILY

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