KITA (Chairman: Jin Sik Yoon) invited the Governor of U.S. state of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, on Monday, 14 September and hosted a luncheon meeting at Grand InterContinental Parnas in Seoul.
The meeting was attended by 19 people from the Korean side, including KITA Chairman Jin-Sik Yoon, a group of non-residential KITA Chairpersons, KUSEC* member companies, representatives from leading companies with presence in Michigan from the battery, automotive parts and cutting-edge manufacturing sectors, such as Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solutions, Hansae Mobility, and other business representatives with plans to invest in Michigan.
From the Michigan side a total of 15 people attended, including Governor Whitmer and officials from Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
* KUSEC: KUSEC stands for Korea - U.S. Economic Council, which was founded in 1973 with an aim to act as a private-level channel for bilateral economic cooperation and KITA acts as KUSEC secretariat.
Governor Whitmer is a prominent woman leader in the Democratic Party and has successfully revived the American automobile industry and took a lead in creating next-generation supply chains for the battery and clean energy sectors. Such pragmatic economic policies were evaluated to have signficantly contributed to upgrading Michigan's industrial competitiveness, which promted Governor Whitmer to garner attention as a next-generation leader.
In his welcome remarks, KITA Chairman Jin-Sik Yoon mentioned, "With its recognition as the cradle of American automobile industry, Michigan is now rising as a centre of next-generation mobility, battery and cutting-edge manufacturing industries." He added, "By taking today's meeting as an opportunity, I thank Governor Whitmer's ongoing unwavering support and attention to reinforce collaboration between Korean companies and Michigan in areas, including reliable alternative supply chains, trade and investment."
In her response to Chairman Yoon's remarks, Governor Whitmer said, "Michigan boasts talented skilled workforce, cutting-edge manufacturing capacity and well-established supply chains, and is ready to develop next-generation technologies with Korean companies by taking advantage of our strengths. She added, "I sincerely hope to unlock the potential emerging industries with Korean companies based on decades-long strong and reliable partnership between Michigan and Korea."