Evil globalization nazis swipe jobs from South Korea.

Korean software company relocating to Oakland

Oakland, as in the home of the University of Pittsburgh.

A Korean software developer has decided to locate its global headquarters and a research and development center in Pittsburgh.

3Ksoft Co., Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, has established an office on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland, where it plans to have 20 people, including 15 new employees, on staff by March.

"Relocating to Pittsburgh is ideal because of the superior technological expertise that is available throughout the region's business and university communities," Young Kun Kim, the company's chief executive officer, said in a statement Monday.

Kim said the company would be working closely with CMU in its efforts to grow its business, which focuses on software designed to make it easier for computers to use the XML programming language.

XML, which stands for eXtensible Markup Language, is designed for sharing diverse data across different systems with a uniform appearance.
3Ksoft says its products will help clients in such fields as electronic commerce, government and mobile commerce.

Carnegie Mellon will use the software for educational purposes, said Timothy McNulty, the school's associate provost for strategic technology initiatives.

The company, which will operate as 3Ksoftware LLC in the United States, has established its XML - Internet Data Center at CMU's Collaborative Innovation Center, providing faculty and students with access to its software tools.

Success in luring 3ksoftware to Pittsburgh is part of a growing effort to attract Asian-based companies here, said Ronald Maloney, staff member of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. Maloney said he has been working with state officials in hopes of landing the company since April 2004.

According to the Regional Alliance, 33 Asian companies already have a presence in the Pittsburgh region, operating 46 facilities and employing abut 5,800 people. (Thanks to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for the heads up.)