Atlantans have a chance this week to engage with some 400 Korean companies — from micro enterprises to mega conglomerates— all without leaving the metro area.
The World Korean Business Convention, a biennial conclave that convenes the Korean business community around the world, will touch down at Gwinnett’s Gas South District starting April 17 and extending over the Easter weekend.
“This is a rare opportunity to discover and invest in new businesses in just one day—an effort that would otherwise take two weeks and cost $10,000 to travel to Korea,” said Sunny Park, honorary chair of WKBC, in a news release. “With over 15,000 smart entrepreneurs attending from across the globe, businesses from Georgia and the Southeast should seize this chance to gain a competitive edge and unlock new opportunities.”
Jae Kim, president of the Southeast U.S. Korea Chamber of Commerce and a member of the host committee, says the event was moved away from Chengdu, China, at the last minute, and organizers decided to bring it back to the U.S. after hosting in California in 2023.
Atlanta was chosen in part thanks to the metro area’s large Korean community (third in the country) and its status as the new center of gravity for Korean manufacturing investment, especially in cars and clean-energy.
The event comes less than two weeks after Hyundai Motor Group officially opened its Metaplant near Savannah and as the U.S. imposed 25 percent tariffs on cars and auto parts, declining to exempt its free-trade partner South Korea. (President Trump Monday hinted he could issue a reprieve on the car tariffs to give companies time to move supply chains to the U.S.)
Organizers say executives from Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK and other key Korean chaebols will be in attendance at the WKBC.
Kelly Loeffler, the former U.S. senator from Georgia and current head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is set to headline one of the many luncheon forums to be held during the three-day event, including a meeting hosted by the Consulate General of Korea on Southeast U.S.-Korea economic partnership.
While there will be ample opportunity for B2B matchmaking for Georgia firms looking to source from Korea, Mr. Kim said the event could also put the state on the map for smaller suppliers looking to break into the U.S. market.
“Trade is the start of any new relationship from a new company’s perspective,” said Mr. Kim, also a partner at Aprio LLP. “Worldwide companies, when they do (foreign direct investment), they start with trade first.”
And of course, what Korean event would be complete without Korean food, Kpop and language? said Caroline Leake, vice president of development, who was hoping to attract participation from Georgia’s universities.
“Culture is overmuch a part of this — there will be performance art as well as food, and I think that’s going to be an exciting part,” Ms. Leake told Global Atlanta.
Organizers alos pointed to success stories from previous conferences, including a golf shop that opened up a storefront in Atlanta after connecting with buyers, a tech company that raised millions of dollars in seed funding and food brands that went gone viral on social media thanks to the event.
Nick Masino, president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, said during a March podcast on global business that the event is just one example of the advantages Atlanta companies enjoy just by being situated in a diverse region.
“You actually don’t need to go to Hartsfield-Jackson airport and get on a plane to do global business, because we’re metro Atlanta and the world is coming here every day.”
Learn more about the event and how to attend at https://www.wkbc.us
