Mayor Franklin and the Chamber business delegation completed the Asia mission with an event-filled weekend in Korea. The mayor and delegates conducted several company visits and public appearances in Seoul and Daegu, Atlanta’s Sister City in Korea, over the weekend.

A panoramic view of Seoul’s skyline shows the Han River and the Olympic Stadium along its banks.

Friday: Seoul
In addition to the business seminar conducted on Friday evening, Mayor Franklin paid visits to several Korean companies with ties to the metro Atlanta area, including SKC and Hanjin.

Mayor Franklin started Friday with a visit to SKC, Inc., part of the SKC Group, one of Korea’s largest companies, to thank them for their continued support of the metro Atlanta area. SKC, Inc., manufactures polyester films and has its North American headquarters as well as a manufacturing plant located in Covington, Ga.

The CEO of SKC presents Mayor Franklin with a gift during her recent visit to the company’s headquarters in Seoul, Korea. From left: Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; John Lee, president of the Korean-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Franklin; Tae Hwa Lee, senior vice president of SKC Film of Atlanta; Jang-seok Park, CEO of SKC, and Ho Jin Kim, president of SKC, Inc.

After Friday’s business seminar hosted by Korean International Trade Association (KITA), Mayor Franklin and the Chamber business delegation attended a private dinner hosted by Hanjin, the parent company of Korean Air and Hanjin Shipping Ltd. Both Korean Air and Hanjin Shipping Ltd. have operations in the metro Atlanta area and Georgia.

Executives from Hanjin hosted Mayor Franklin and the Chamber business delegation for dinner during their stay in Seoul. From left: Wayne Reece, president of Reece & Associates; Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Chul-Soo Yang, senior vice president of Hanjin; Mayor Franklin; Yung-Hak Jung, managing vice president of passenger network and sales for Korean Air; Jeff Pearse, director of marketing and business development for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; K.D. Han, vice president of American Network Management for Korean Air; and Joon-Beom Park, deputy general manager for Hanjin America Logistics Center.

Saturday: Daegu
On Saturday morning, Mayor Franklin and the Chamber business delegation boarded a high-speed train to travel from Seoul to the city of Daegu, Korea. Daegu recently celebrated its 25th anniversary as an Atlanta Sister City. During the visit, Mayor Franklin and delegates visited Yeungjin College.

At Yeungjin College, the mayor and the business delegation received a very warm welcome from the students.

Yeungjin College students gathered to welcome Mayor Franklin and the Chamber business delegation.

Mayor Franklin and the delegates were on hand to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Yeungjin College of Engineering and the Korean Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce to provide Yeungjin students with internships at U.S. corporations. Delegation member John Lee represented the Korean-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Franklin and the Chamber delegates attend the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between Yeungjin College and the Korean-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Franklin and the Chamber delegation completed their visit to Daegu with a dinner celebration hosted by the Mayor of Daegu at the Hotel Inter-Burgo Daegu. Mayor Franklin presented the Mayor of Daegu with a painting made by a local Atlanta student from the ARTScool program. The ARTScool program is run by the City of Atlanta’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs and offers young people arts and job training, and cultural experiences that enhance personal development.

Jorge Fernandez(left), vice president of global commerce for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and John Lee, president of the Korean-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Franklin present the Honorable Bum-Il Kim, mayor of Daegu City, with a gift during their recent visit to Daegu, Korea.

Sunday: Seoul
The mayor and the Chamber delegation returned to Seoul on Sunday afternoon for some leisure time in the city before catching a Monday morning flight back to Atlanta.

Mayor Franklin and the business delegation returned to Atlanta on Monday, April 30.

We thank you for visiting our site, and we hope you have enjoyed our Asia Mission 2007 updates. We encourage you to visit again during future trade missions organized by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

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