SINGAPORE—Singapore-based Mileage Communications has extended its footprint into South Korea by opening its newest branch in Seoul.  Known as Mileage Communications (Korea), the joint venture is formed with local PR veteran John Kim and his team. Kim has more than 30 years of experience with top international companies such as LG, GM Korea and Glaxosmithkline. According to Yap Boh Tiong, chairman of the Mileage Group: “Korea is Asia’s fourth largest economy and the business outlook is positive. We have clients pushing for work to be carried out in the Korean market and having an office in Seoul will be a boon for our clients.”

SEOUL—Burson-Marsteller has appointed James Yi as its new market leader in South Korea. He replaces Margaret Key, who was promoted to chief operating officer for Asia Pacific earlier this year, and will report to Patrick Ford, Asia Pacific regional chairman. Yi comes to Burson-Marsteller from Ogilvy Public Relations in Vietnam, where he oversaw market operations including developing and executing a wide range of public relations campaigns, growing new business, providing strategic counsel to key clients and managing a staff of 60.

SINGAPORE— Ye Yu, currently co-president for Hill+Knowlton Strategies in China, has been promoted to executive vice president, APAC and chairman, China, based in Beijing and responsible for all of H+K’s operations across China. Current Shanghai-based China co-president Ivy Soonthornsima becomes senior vice president and head of integrated communications, APAC. She will be based in Hong Kong. Both will continue to report in their new roles to Vivian Lines, global vice chairman and chairman, Asia Pacific.

SHANGHAI—ABI, a business-to-business marketing public relations agency, has announced the opening of a Shanghai office to bolster its capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. For the past four years, ABI has been supporting multinational companies in China’s key B2B growth sectors—including food, packaging, life sciences, electronics, heavy industrial, product inspection and sustainability—from its Singapore office. Juliet Zhu, who was recently promoted as ABI’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific region, will run the Shanghai office.