NNSL (Jan 10/97) - Yellowknife's Chong Park takes a decidedly large business advantage with him as he travels with Prime Minister Jean Chretien's trade mission to Korea this month.

Park, an architect and 18-year resident of the city, is originally from the growing Pacific Rim country.

"The most difficult part for Canadians overseas is the communication," Park said from his tidy office, where housing designs and floor plans neatly cover the walls.

"I can help bridge that gap because I speak the language, know their customs and how to deal with them."

Park has already used these assets to his company's advantage.

In the past two years, Park Sanders Adam Viske Architects Ltd. has designed and supplied materials for two houses, designed a church and an eight-unit housing project for the same developer.

One of the houses served as a show home for Canadian stick-built design and technology for 10 months and was then sold for almost $1 million, Park said.

"South Korea is starting to become interested in Canadian wood-frame construction," he said. "There's quite a bit of potential.

"If you can get the right contact, there will be good business there."

The competition from Americans with similar technology and products but a much more aggressive sales technique is stiff, Park admits.

But now that affiliate company Aurora Homes International Ltd. has been formed to pursue overseas work, he hopes to wrap up more deals in Korea.

"It's a lot of time and effort, but if you don't try you'll never get it," Park said.

Team Canada, an entourage of more than 400 business, government and education leaders, is also travelling to Manila and Bangkok. While Park said he's going to concentrate his efforts on Korea, he's always open to talk business.

"This trade mission may help make other contacts," Park said. "Otherwise I'd go to Korea myself."