I’m Cheolho Shim, founder of KoreaLiaisonPM, based in Busan, South Korea.

Before starting KoreaLiaisonPM, I spent two decades inside the supply chains that make international sourcing actually work — not from a consulting firm’s conference room, but from the factory floor. I managed automotive OEM supplier relationships (Hyundai/Kia, and a major European automotive alliance), and led on-site project delivery for mining infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan and Australia, supplying to operators like BHP and Rio Tinto.

That experience taught me something most sourcing firms don’t tell you: the risk in an international sourcing project rarely shows up in the paperwork. It shows up in a supplier meeting where the tone changes. In equipment that’s older than the spec sheet suggests. In a delivery delay that gets explained away instead of fixed. You only catch these things if you’ve actually sat in that room before.

Automotive OEM Manufacturing (12 Years)

I worked directly within Hyundai-Kia and Renault-Nissan OEM parts supply chains, gaining deep, firsthand knowledge of Korean manufacturing standards, quality systems, and negotiation practices.

Mining & Infrastructure Projects (Kazakhstan & Australia)

I managed the Ausenco/Bozshakol mining project for KazakhMys in Kazakhstan, and supported equipment design, manufacturing, and export projects in Korea for AMMS Group (Australia), supplying BHP and Rio Tinto operations.

Financial Expertise

Verifying a supplier’s technical capability isn’t enough — their financial health matters just as much. Before I recommend any manufacturer, I apply the same rigorous financial due diligence standard I’ve used throughout my career: checking payment history, credit standing, and financial stability, so you’re not just getting a capable factory, but a stable one.

Leadership Experience

Before founding KoreaLiaisonPM, I served as CEO of two joint ventures — JAM and H2GO — managing the full business from client development through delivery. That meant more than winning contracts. I was responsible for the people, the subcontractors, and the outcome, with no one else to hand a problem to. When a project fell behind schedule or a supplier’s work didn’t match spec, fixing it was my job, not someone else’s department.

That’s the experience I bring to every KoreaLiaisonPM engagement. I’m not managing your project from a desk — I’ve run the whole operation myself, more than once, in more than one industry.

I studied Business and Marketing at Wichita State University in Kansas, USA, before starting my career in international B2B.