Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (right) warmly shakes hands with Philip Goldberg, the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office on the 30th. Photo by Gyeonggi Province
[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, met with Philip S. Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to Korea, and proposed developing the Korea-U.S. relationship into an "Innovation Alliance." He also expressed regret over several issues, including the exclusion of Korean companies from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) despite active U.S. investment, and requested active mediation.
On the 30th, Governor Kim met with Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office and said, "Korea and the U.S. have a traditional alliance relationship and recently share a value alliance beyond military and economic alliances," adding, "Since you are visiting Gyeonggi Province, I hope we can establish a kind of innovation alliance that goes beyond the value alliance." The innovation alliance refers to a cooperative relationship in the innovation economy.
Governor Kim stated, "Gyeonggi Province has a deep interest in overall innovation along with various important industries. In that respect, it is not different from what the U.S. aims for," and added, "I ask the Ambassador to serve as a bridge for the innovation alliance between the two countries."
He also said, "Gyeonggi Province is a 'small Korea' where one-quarter of South Korea's population resides," and promised, "Starting from Gyeonggi Province, we will play a role in promoting and developing various cooperative relationships between Korea and the U.S."
Ambassador Goldberg responded, "Since Korea and the U.S. are leading powers in science, technology, and innovation worldwide, I believe we can become stronger by joining hands and working together," adding, "Today, I plan to visit Lam Research, a leading semiconductor company, and I intend to play a bridging role in advancing cooperation between the two countries, making it a key focus area."
Governor Kim emphasized economic cooperation, saying, "The world's top four semiconductor equipment companies, including Lam Research, are all located in Gyeonggi Province," and "I especially hope for more cooperation between Korea and the U.S. in the semiconductor sector."
He particularly requested, "Many companies related to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are located in Gyeonggi Province. Please provide various cooperative roles, including allowing a grace period for our companies to adapt."
The two exchanged views on various topics such as climate change, carbon neutrality, economic cooperation, and the alliance between the two countries.
This meeting was held at the request of Ambassador Goldberg.
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province's trade volume with the U.S. was $44.4 billion as of last year. Notably, Gyeonggi Province is the hub of Korea's semiconductor production, concentrating 64% of the semiconductor production supply chain and producing 82.8% of the domestic semiconductor added value.
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