460 companies and 300+ local buyers participated in the Corporate Pavilion Commerce Ministers of 12 U.S. states and most of Korea’s metropolitan areas participated Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik, Georgia Governor Brian Camp, and others attended Kick-off meeting with the Korea Overseas Koreans Administration and the organizing committee, including Chairman Lee Kyung-chul, Acting Vice President Choi and Chairman Woo Won-sik The 23rd World Korean Business Congress will be held in Atlanta, U.S., from April 17-20, with a total of 460 companies and more than 300 local buyers, exceeding the original target, making it the largest Korean goods fair to be held in the southeastern United States.

Of these, 410 companies from Korea alone will participate and set up booths. Some of the largest companies include HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, SK, Kia Motors, and Kumho Tire, all of which have local subsidiaries in Georgia.

The organizing committee (WKBC USA, Chairman Noh Sang-il) is most concerned about inviting local buyers. On March 7, Lee Kyung-chul, president of the Federation of Korean American Chambers of Commerce in the Americas, who recently visited Korea, told reporters, “It is important to achieve tangible results from the event, so we have a separate buyer attraction committee under the organizing committee (chairman Hong Seong-won) and are striving to attract 500 companies.”

Building on the success of the 21st World Korean Business Congress in Anaheim, California, in 2023, Lee emphasized that the 23rd edition of the event will strive to provide opportunities for more Korean SMEs to enter the U.S. market.

Lee pointed to the business-to-government (B2G) and government-to-government (G2G) forums as two of the distinctive programs of the 23rd edition. The B2G and G2G forums are designed to help Korean companies enter the local public procurement market through networking with U.S. state governments. Twelve U.S. states are participating in the forum, including Georgia, and the secretaries of commerce from New Jersey, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Utah, Texas, and Arizona are invited. (Washington State’s participation is still pending.) Georgia will be represented by Governor Brian Camp.

In South Korea, most local governments will be represented, including Incheon, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Chungbuk, Chungnam, and Gangwon. Five members of the National Assembly will also be traveling to Atlanta, including Speaker Woo Won-sik and two members from each of the ruling and opposition parties. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) will host a pavilion promoting the 2025 APEC CEO Summit (Chairman Choi Tae-won) at the Atlanta venue.

The Startup Pitching Competition is another program that attracts industry attention. In Atlanta, 300 startups will compete online, and four to five startups will be selected to win cash prizes and the opportunity to connect with local U.S. investors. According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce in the Americas, the last startup pitching contest held in Anaheim in 2023 resulted in KRW 20 billion in investment.

The organizing committee recently visited South Korea for a kick-off meeting to share the event’s progress with co-host agency, the Korean Overseas Koreans Administration. They also met with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok and Speaker Woo Won-sik of the National Assembly to introduce the World Korean Business Congress and ask for their support. The visit was accompanied by General Assembly President Lee Kyung-chul, Congress Organizing Committee Chairman Noh Sang-cheol, Co-Chairman Kim Mi-kyung, Chairman Kim Hyung-ryul, Honorary Chairman Hwang Byung-gu, and Senior Vice President Kaye Jeon.

“As we prepare for the Atlanta Games, we are aiming for both success and achievement,” said President Lee Kyung-chul. In addition to the participation of Korean businessmen and women from at least 60 countries, the organization expects 15,000 visitors to attend the exhibition, which is free to the public.

“In the three years of my term as president, I have organized three World Korean Business Congresses – Anaheim, Jeonju and Atlanta,” Lee said, adding that this is the last big event and he is putting all his energy into it. His term as president ends in May.

“Atlanta has a large number of Korean compatriots and Korean companies, but there is a lack of connection with the local mainstream society,” said Kaye, who is the chairman of the organizing committee. ”This is the first time an event of this magnitude has been held to introduce Korean products, so we are working hard to spread the word to the local mainstream society.” Kay, who has lived in Seattle for nearly 40 years since coming to the U.S. to study in 1985, was the 33rd president of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce in Washington State and has been the senior vice president of the U.S.-Korea Business Council for five years. As the lifeblood of the organizing committee, she has been flying back and forth across the Pacific Ocean to prepare for the event, which is just over a month away.

“The Ministry of Overseas Korean Affairs provides a partial budget (1 billion won), but it is not enough to cover the event, so we are relying heavily on donations from Korean American businessmen in the United States,” said Kay, adding, ”This year’s event is difficult because the amount of money raised is less than the last Anaheim event.”

So far, Chairman Lee Kyung-chul and Co-Chairman Na Jeong-chan have donated $200,000 each, Co-Chairman Kim Mi-kyung, Chairman Jang Yong-jin of KISS Group and Hyundai Heavy Industries & Construction have donated $100,000 each, CEO Kim Bugon of SNK has donated $70,000, former Atlanta Korean President Kim Baek-kyu and ARCO have donated $50,000 each, and Honorary Chairman Hwang Byung-gu has donated $30,000. Among them, ARCO, a U.S. construction company, will hold a consultation with Dukshin Housing in Korea about establishing a local factory during the Atlanta competition. The total amount of consultations is expected to be more than $1 billion.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Korea Chamber of Commerce in the Americas is considering the idea of holding the U.S.-Korea Business Congress in Las Vegas every year from next year after the Atlanta event.

Source : The Korea Times (https://www.dongponews.net)