A group of Cobb County dignitaries recently visited Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, South Korea to establish a Sister City relationship and explore economic development opportunities between Cobb County and Seongdong-Gu. Delegates represented a broad base of Cobb County including four prominent Korean Americans; elected officials; economic development staff; public schools, university and technical college staff; law enforcement; chamber of commerce staff; Georgia Power officials; a lawyer; an architect; a newspaper publisher; and others.
“Seongdong-Gu and Cobb County are excited to have formalized their Sister City relationship and look forward to future opportunities to pursue economic, cultural and educational endeavors together,” said Michael Hughes, director of Cobb County Office of Economic Development. The trip has been in the works for almost a year, beginning when well-known businessman and community supporter Sunny Park met with Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens. The initial meeting led to others with interested community members and plans were made to officially establish a Sister City relationship with Seongdong-Gu.
During the trip, dignitaries participated in Sister City activities, including meeting the mayor, having a signing ceremony, touring the city and visiting the Doosan Company. The group also met with business interests in the city, including Coca-Cola, Kia, Doosan, Doran Capital Partners and LG, as well as educational institutions such as Han Yang University. Activities also included meetings with local elected officials and dinner with military personnel from Georgia hosted by the Commander of the Eighth Army.
“We look forward to seeing the troops from Georgia and hopefully from Cobb County,” David Hankerson, Cobb County Manager, said. “This will be a great chance to say hello and thank them for their service to our country while building business relationships with the people of South Korea.”
Seongdong-Gu is one of 25 “gu,” or districts, which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River and is divided into 20 neighborhoods. The city’s tagline is “Seongdong-Gu, where dreams become reality.”
The Cobb County delegates to Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, Korea included: