ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, recently celebrated the opening of its new office in Seoul, South Korea, with a ceremony that included a large crowd of industry professionals and government representatives. This marks ISSA’s fifth international office.

The opening ceremony featured speeches given by local industry leaders from Samsung S-1 Corp., Mirae Medical Industry Council, Hotel & Restaurant Magazine, and the Korean FM Association. Representatives from companies such as SNI Corp. (LG ServiceOne), Kyobo Real Co. and Samkoo, Inc. also attended.

The ISSA Korea office is run jointly by ISSA and the Korean Institute of Cleaning Science (KICS), led by Danni Lee. Its main focus is to help advance the Korean cleaning industry via three core initiatives: education, certification and localized member services.

“I am so excited for this day to finally arrive because I have wanted to bring ISSA to Korea ever since I saw people dying during the local Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015,” said Lee. “My goal always has been to teach people how to prevent the spread of disease through proper cleaning and disinfecting and now we can introduce more advanced methods to the Korean industry because of ISSA’s local presence.”

In addition to the technical expertise ISSA is disseminating through its Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) certification courses, the association also has launched its Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) in Korea. Samsung S-1 is the first local organization to complete CIMS certification and has already reported a 20% increase in profitability due to the implementation of the ISSA practices it learned.

“We’re thrilled at the warm reception ISSA has received from the Korean cleaning industry and inspired by the enthusiasm with which it is embracing ISSA’s globally recognized programs to help innovate the local market,” said Dianna Steinbach, ISSA vice president of international services.

John Barrett, ISSA executive director, agreed. “I am happy and encouraged to see the potential that exists in Korea and the desire to make a true difference in the role cleaning can play in improving public health,” he said. “It’s clear that companies in this market are willing to invest in international standards that can raise the bar, and that they trust in ISSA as the global leader to help them achieve greater success.”

The local ISSA team has graduated two dozen students from the CMI courses and is currently taking reservations for training workshops to be held over the next few months. Multiple organizations also have signed up to be the next cleaning companies to undergo CIMS preparation and certification.

For more information, visit www.issa.com.