Although foreignness can bring both benefits and costs to a business, much of the literature has focused on the liability of foreignness (LOF), while relatively little attention has been paid to the positive side. Despite the presence of LOFs, foreign companies may accrue some unique advantages from their foreign status, which are referred to as assets of foreignness (AOFs). Drawing upon social-capital theory and institutional theory, this article examines the issue of LOFs versus AOFs in the context of the informal networks in Korea and explores how foreign companies can manage their weaknesses in host-country-specific informal networks to create value from their foreignness. We discuss two practical strategies, reactive and proactive strategies, that can be used by foreign companies. While these two strategies can be pursued in parallel, this article suggests that foreign companies should prioritize pursuing proactive strategies. This article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of foreignness in the international business context and provides practical insights into how foreign companies can leverage their foreign status in developing their own informal networks in Korea.

尽管外国人可以为企业带来收益和成本，但大部分文献都集中在外国人责任（LOF）上，而对积极方面的关注相对较少。尽管存在 LOF，但外国公司可能会从其外国地位中获得一些独特的优势，这些优势被称为外国资产 (AOF)。本文借鉴社会资本理论和制度理论，探讨了韩国非正式网络背景下 LOF 与 AOF 的问题，并探讨了外国公司如何管理其在东道国特定的非正式网络中的弱点，从而从他们的异国情调。我们讨论了外国公司可以使用的两种实用策略，即被动策略和主动策略。虽然这两种策略可以并行执行，本文建议外国公司应优先采用积极主动的战略。本文有助于更细致地理解外国人在国际商业环境中的作用，并提供有关外国公司如何利用其外国地位在韩国发展自己的非正式网络的实用见解。