I am a construction engineer with a background in civil engineering. I have worked in design and construction of roads both locally and internationally for many years. My experiences began in Korean-style construction projects such as Seoul-Busan highway supervision, but I built international experiences by being involved in IBRD ADB funded Korean road constructions’ project design, assessment, contract drafting, order, funding, quality control, process management, conflict management and other construction management work. Thereafter I worked in numerous housing projects in the Middle East, and worked in conflict resolution and construction management of international project by working on design and contract drafting.
After the Middle East construction boom, Korean firms have been aiming for SCC funded construction work buoyed by growing economies around the world such as Southeast Asia. But due to insufficient experience and lack of familiarity in international standards for conflict management and resolution, many Korean firms have incurred significant losses in such projects.
From my experiences as a construction supervisor and developer of several mid to large scale building projects in Gangnam area of Seoul, I have come to conclude that legal recourse alone, coming from lawyers without hands-on experience in claim prevention and adjustment, is hardly sufficient. Our experts including myself are tried and tested specialists with construction field experience. But we are not so complacent to believe that our expertise alone can be sufficient to resolve all construction issues. When legal help is needed, we leverage our in-house legal capabilities as well as out-house law firms with international acclaim to achieve the most cost effective solution for our clients. I am confident that my extensive construction experience, my language capabilities including Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, French, and Chinese, my time-honed sensibilities and broad and recent exposure to construction projects including projects in Mongolia, Iran, Uruguay, and Paraguay, can provide significant help to firms seeking international opportunities.
The most formidable competitor in global era is China. Within short time after adopting the market economy, China has accepted and applied international standards, which places their construction firms’ practices at least on par or above that of Korean firms. At this time, China will present serious competition in eventual opening of the construction market in North Korea. Our goal in ROFAM is to support Korean firms in competing against Chinese firms in IDB-awarded projects by elevating Korea’s construction project management system to a cutting edge global standard.
ROFAM Global Construction Consultants
CEO Ro Man Young
