[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Kim Byeong-nae, mayor of Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, consecutively met with U.S. federal House representatives, California state treasurer and state legislators, as well as mayors, city council members, and business leaders in the LA area to pave the way for attracting investment in the economic sector and expanding exchanges in education.
According to Nam-gu on the 11th, Mayor Kim Byeong-nae recently visited the U.S. for 6 nights and 8 days to attract investment in the local Energy Valley, establish a support system for students from Nam-gu studying at universities in LA, and propose online lectures between Nam-gu universities and 11 California state universities including California Institute of Technology, aiming to enhance educational welfare.
Upon arrival, Mayor Kim first visited the LA City Council, the local legislative body.
At the regular city council meeting attended by Council President Nury Martinez and Vice President Mitch O’Fareel, among other council members, he introduced Nam-gu, Gwangju, and delivered a speech emphasizing the necessity of exchanges with LA, receiving great response.
Furthermore, Mayor Kim met with Fiona Ma, the elected California state treasurer managing a budget of 80 trillion won, and LA city council members Heather Hutt (representing the 10th district where Koreatown is located), Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and Jhon Lee to discuss educational exchanges such as introducing a Korean student information sharing notification service, establishing a local emergency relief management center, and implementing online lectures among prestigious universities to promote investment and educational cooperation.
They also coordinated specific plans to dispatch local government officials from Korea to the LA city or city council and received promises of active cooperation.
During his stay, Mayor Kim continuously held meetings with prominent political figures in the LA area.
In particular, he met with Karen Bass, a leading candidate in the upcoming LA mayoral election on November 8, to discuss ways to promote friendship and cooperative exchanges between LA and Nam-gu, Gwangju.
He also repeatedly emphasized support for Korean students and the introduction of online lectures from top U.S. universities in discussions with Jimmy Gomez, a House representative of the 34th district, the largest Korean residential area, and proposed exchanges with California state universities.
Representatives Karen Bass and Jimmy Gomez expressed encouraging positions regarding the cooperation plans and proposals.
Additionally, Mike Fong, a six-term member of the California State Assembly, and Miguel Santiago, a state legislator, expressed strong support for exchange and cooperation with the educational and cultural special district of Nam-gu.
He also continued a rigorous schedule in the economic sector, including corporate and investment attraction.
Mayor Kim discussed Korea-U.S. trade issues with local Chamber of Commerce officials such as Joseph Campos, and consecutively met with David Nahai, senior advisor of the Clinton Climate Initiative, and Christopher Pak, CEO of Alcyon Group.
Senior advisor David Nahai promised export plans for energy-related companies in Nam-gu to the U.S. and educational exchange initiatives, while an agreement was signed with Alcyon Group focusing on support for entry into the U.S. and Korean markets and cooperation in job creation.
Moreover, Christopher Pak, CEO of Alcyon Group, was appointed as an economic advisor for Nam-gu to attract investment to the Energy Valley industrial complex, and he is scheduled to visit Gwangju next month to inspect the Energy Valley industrial complex.
The appointment of an economic advisor holds great significance as it secures a foothold for attracting companies and investment to the Energy Valley industrial complex in the district.
In addition, Mayor Kim visited Pasadena, an educational city in LA County, California, and discussed with Mayor Victor Gordor the establishment of an online lecture system between universities in Nam-gu and prestigious universities in Pasadena such as California Institute of Technology, as well as sister city exchanges.
Since sister city designation requires approval from the relevant city committee, continuous consultations will be held, and intentions for exchange and cooperation for mutual development between Nam-gu and Pasadena were conveyed.
Mayor Kim stated, “Investment is needed in cultural industries such as the advanced immersive content industry centered on the Energy Valley and Songam industrial complexes for the local economy, and multifaceted exchanges are important to reflect the high level of educational enthusiasm and foster talent. Having laid the foundation for economic and educational exchanges with the LA area, we will lead Nam-gu, the economic and educational special district, to become an international city through closer exchanges in the future.”
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