For court reporters, especially those working internationally, no two days are ever the same. We could be working on anything from an arbitration about plastic surgery, a court case about corruption, a deposition about chipset patents, or a corporate event launching a product. And occasionally, we may even be called upon to undertake a bit of acting. Planet Depos’ Seoul-based reporter, Lisa Feissner, RDR, CRR, CRI, CLR, was delighted to perform a cameo role in a recent video produced by the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board. This thorough and entertaining video provides an understanding of the Korean arbitral process from start to finish, and includes a mock arbitration. The video, with bilingual captions, can be viewed here.

Originally established in 1966 as the Korean Commercial Arbitration Centre, then expanded and renamed in 1980, the KCAB has a long and distinguished history in the ADR space. There are five key features which attract international parties to arbitrate at KCAB: impartiality; party autonomy; finality; efficiency; and privacy. With its main office in the Trade Tower in Gangnam, and a branch office in Busan, the sixth feature has to be convenience. In 2016, the KCAB also opened its first international branch office, in Los Angeles. As the US is Korea’s second-largest trading partner, this is a strategic expansion that will be of great benefit to US practitioners for resolving commercial disputes with Korean counterparts.

Apart from opening the LA branch office, the KCAB had an exciting year in 2016, summed up in their recent newsletter. They hosted a number of conferences and academic programs, as well as, of course, a gala celebration for their 50th anniversary.

Planet Depos has a long-standing relationship with users of KCAB and our Korea-based team has provided reporting services at numerous arbitrations there. We look forward to continuing this in 2017 and beyond, and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the KCAB and its staff on the recent golden jubilee.