Cannot enter Korea—or landing soon? One reliable person on the ground in Seoul.
Many Korean factories, suppliers, and institutions ignore English emails and live on Korean portals that require a local phone number. Whether visa limits or travel budgets keep your team outside South Korea—or you are flying in for critical meetings—I work directly in Korean on the ground to get your task finished and report back clearly in English.
Two situations foreign companies hire me for
Start with a single remote check before spending airfare, or bundle full ground support when executives travel.
Executing in Korea while your team stays abroad
Built for overseas buyers, founders, and lean teams who cannot enter Korea, have no local staff, or hit a wall of unanswered emails:
- Korean phone calls & KakaoTalk follow-ups to unresponsive suppliers
- Naver/domestic vendor discovery & multi-quote comparison in English
- On-site factory, showroom, or office check with timestamped photos & video
- Exhibition scouting (COEX, KINTEX, BEXCO): booth visits, brochures & leads
- Sample check, consolidation & DHL/FedEx dispatch (at client's direct cost)
- Outsourced part-time Korea desk (weekly follow-ups, zero entity overhead)
Supporting your team before, during, and after landing
You fly to Korea for a specific commercial goal—a factory audit, a CEO meeting, a partnership, a delegation:
- Pre-arrival Korean research translated into a short English brief
- Schedules, bookings, venues, and local contractor/venue coordination
- In-room consecutive interpreting as a practical tool (not the job title)
- Korean business etiquette & unwritten context explained on site
- Written English meeting recap & post-departure Korean follow-up
- Licensed transport & licensed tour vendor coordination when needed
What I can take off your plate
Pick one standalone task (even a 1-day check or 3 supplier calls) or combine them into a recurring Korea desk.
Korean Supplier Calls & Quote Sourcing
Searching domestic Korean directories, phoning factories or B2B vendors in Korean, confirming MOQ, pricing, and lead times, and delivering an English comparison sheet with direct factory contacts.
On-Site Visits, Audits & Trade Shows
Visiting offices, warehouses, industrial complexes, or exhibition booths (Seoul, Songdo, Gyeonggi, nationwide by scope) to confirm physical operations, inspect samples, and send a written English photo/video report.
Meeting Representation (Proxy)
Attending scheduled meetings with your Korean counterparts on your behalf within your written instructions and reporting back cleanly in English.
Institution Liaison & Bilingual Research
Translating Korean RFPs, notices, and rules into English, phoning Korean institutions or public desks for rule clarification, and preparing clean bilingual drafts.
Consecutive Interpreting (Supporting Tool)
Inside meetings that decide the deal: factory floors, CEO briefings, technical workshops, hosted dinners. Comfortable with IT (cloud, AI agents, data) and Bible/Christianity topics.
Executive Assistance, Hosting & Docs
Drafting/translating official letters, proposals, RFQs, and quotations; arrival checklists, visa paperwork support, newcomer settlement logistics, and calm delegation hosting.
Track record on the ground in Korea
Years working inside Korean institutions and global teams alongside English-speaking executives, professors, and US home offices.
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2016 – 2018
SUNY Korea (Incheon) · Department Coordinator & Chair's Secretary
Acted as the day-to-day Korean operational arm for a visiting US engineering department chair: visited Korean industrial suppliers (including Namdong Industrial Complex) to source lab machinery, gathered multi-vendor quotes, drafted private-contract justifications, supervised local Korean contractors during lab & AV construction, telephoned and accompanied non-Korean faculty at Korea's National Research Foundation (NRF) grant evaluations, reconciled utility/settlement logistics, and prepared bilingual announcements and visa/arrival support.
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2019 – 2022
DEX Consulting (Seoul) · IT Consulting & Bilingual Coordination
Handled enterprise proposals, RFQs, and quotations (RPA, Power Platform, BI) for major Korean conglomerates, collaborated with overseas technical engineers, drafted English/Korean technical documentation, and provided consecutive interpretation in client-vendor IT technical meetings.
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2012 – 2014
Sejong University Graduate School of Business (Seoul) · Assistant to the Dean
Assistant to the dean of the graduate school of business, an American exchange professor. Worked in English, including English-Korean interpreting.
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2014 – 2015
Syracuse, New York (USA) · ~1.5 Years in English Environments
Non-profit organization intern and assistant to a university chaplain in New York—building direct familiarity with Western business communication and expectations.
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Today
Seoul Base + AI & Cloud Fluency
Based in Songpa-gu, Seoul (UTC+9). Native Korean, TOEIC 980 / TOEIC Speaking Lv7 (170). Also builds AI agents and cloud automation (see home page), making technical vendor checks straightforward.
How overseas clients verify my identity & work safely
Hiring someone remotely in Korea without flying in requires concrete proof, not vague promises.
1. Public Identity & Credential Trail
Real name (Daun Lee / 이다언), Seoul base, full career history on LinkedIn, verifiable certifications on Microsoft Learn (incl. MCT & AB-100), and technical portfolio on daunlee.com.
2. Free 15-Minute Live Video Check
Meet on camera (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet) before any deposit to confirm fit, inspect your target supplier list or itinerary, and lock exact written deliverables.
3. Raw Korean Quotes & Registry Checks
Zero supplier commissions. I verify Korean business status publicly, log every Korean call, and send original supplier phone contacts and Korean quotes alongside English tables.
4. Timestamped Photo/Video Proof & Direct Pay
On-site visits deliver exterior/interior photos and short video reports (plus live check-ins when hosts permit). Commercial orders and courier bills remain strictly in your company's name.
Strict Transparency & What I Do Not Do
- No hidden supplier kickbacks or markups: I am paid 100% by you. You receive direct supplier names, contact details, and raw Korean quotes with English translation.
- No Importer of Record (IOR), EOR, or handling resale funds: Commercial contracts, customs filings, and supplier payments remain directly in your company's name. Samples or shipping fees are reimbursed or paid directly by the client.
- No licensed legal, immigration, or administrative filings: Under Korean law (`변호사법`/`행정사법`), I prepare translations/drafts and coordinate licensed Korean attorneys or certified administrative agents (`행정사`) when official filings are needed.
- No paid sightseeing tour guiding or driving guests: I do not hold Korea's tour guide interpreter license, and carrying paying passengers in a private car is illegal in Korea. I coordinate licensed tour/transport operators when requested.
- No placement fees or guaranteed commercial results: For hiring/screening support I assist with scheduling and language coordination only (not a recruiting agency), and I never claim negotiating authority beyond your written instructions.
Questions foreign companies ask
Direct answers so you know right away if this fits your situation.
Can you work for us if we have no Korea visa or cannot fly in?
Yes—that is a primary use case. I act as your local representative in Seoul: phoning Korean vendors, getting quotes, visiting factories or trade shows, verifying physical legitimacy, and sending structured English reports with photos and video.
Do you take commissions from factories?
Never. I work strictly 100% on your side and receive zero kickbacks, referral fees, or price markups from Korean suppliers.
Can you buy or ship samples on our behalf?
I can visit vendors, inspect samples visually, photograph them on a video call or send photos, consolidate packages, and dispatch via DHL/FedEx. You cover direct item and courier costs (or pay vendors directly); I do not act as Importer of Record or commercial reseller.
Are you just an interpreter?
No. Interpreting is just a supporting tool. Whether you stay overseas or land in Seoul, my role is getting your Korea-side business objective completed end to end.
What do you need from us to start?
Your concrete goal, target companies or items, links/specs you already have, and timing. A short email or quick call is enough to map clear next steps.
How is pricing handled?
Rates are quoted after a short consultation, based on scope, hours, and domestic travel outside Seoul.
Tell me what needs to happen in Korea
Send what you are trying to check, source, verify, or negotiate—or share your upcoming travel dates. I will reply with what I can execute on the ground and a straightforward quote after a brief alignment.