About Don Southerton
Don Southerton is President and CEO of Bridging Culture Worldwide and a recognized authority on Korean business strategy, corporate culture, and commercial practice. Over a career spanning more than twenty years, he has advised major Korean groups, international brands, government agencies, and the law firms that represent them—earning a reputation as the “go-to” expert on Korea-facing business.
Expert witness practice
Southerton provides strategy, expert opinion testimony, litigation testimony, and case review for both defense and plaintiff. His engagements have involved anti-trust, intellectual property, wrongful death, international family law, labor law, and personal injury matters. By virtue of his education, experience, training, and skills, courts in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and California have accepted his testimony and expertise.
Areas of expertise
- Korean business culture, norms, and workplace dynamics
- MOUs, letters of intent, and commercial agreements under Korean practice
- Anti-trust, IP, and licensing in a Korean context
- Trade and tariffs (U.S.–Korea framework, Section 232, KFTA)
- Deep insight into Korea’s major conglomerates—Samsung, Hyundai–Kia Motors, LG, SK, and Lotte
Education
B.A. and M.A., University of Colorado, with postgraduate studies at UC San Diego, the University of Southern California (USC), and UCLA. Southerton is engaged in ongoing study in Transactional Law at the USC Gould School of Law, with an emphasis on Trade, Technology, IP, International Relations, and Government Affairs.
Author & media
A prolific author, Southerton has published Korea 101: The Book, The Hyundai Way (now in its newest edition), and Korean Business: Challenges and Solutions. His commentary has appeared in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNBC, Forbes, BBC, CNN/Fortune, NIKKEI Asia, Automotive News, Korea Times, Yonhap, and Branding in Asia.
Selected legal engagements
Alston & Bird LLP · Boies Schiller Flexner LLP · Susman Godfrey LLP · Crowell & Moring LLP · Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. · Perkins Coie LLP · Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP
Contact: dsoutherton@bridgingculture.com | 310-866-3777 | Golden, Colorado