Korean R&D managers and project leaders in Suwon are still untrusting of their US colleagues, regardless of the US employees' credentials or track record. If you are not Korean, you have to work twice as hard to gain their trust. Even after you think you have their trust, you are typically kept out of the loop on vital information needed to perform your job, out of an abundance of "caution". There is a pervasive culture of mistrust. Some of the Korean project leads have very limited knowledge of English and are simply unable to understand the nuances of email or verbal communications, especially from other companies that Samsung works with. But that does not stop those PLs from reacting to those emails or conversations and making (potentially harmful) strategic decisions, based on their erroneous understanding of the content. Unprofessional (and sometimes vindictive) behavior, politics and nepotism rule the day - if you are Korean, you are always correct; if you are Korean, you will always have a project; if you are Korean, you are able to circumvent travel policy with impunity, and so on and so forth. On the other hand, if you are non-Korean, you are only as good as your current project. Once your current project is over, the slate is wiped clean and you have to start all over again. In other words, non-Korean full-time employees are effectively treated as contractors, especially in the R&D organization. Your track record on your prior projects, however brilliant, means nothing. Your current job grade and title, that you have worked hard to earn, mean nothing. This myopic view is prevalent in all areas of R&D. Non-Korean R&D managers and employees who learn to tow the line, blindly play "yes-man" to everything handed down from Suwon, are likely to thrive. Others, who try to apply their independent thought processes, and are foolhardy enough to exhibit signs of having a spine, are unlikely to last very long.
