The economic system of Columbus, Ga. may benefit from the rising presence and enterprise growth of Korean corporations if the U.S. metropolis capitalizes on its just lately signed sister-city partnership with Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, in accordance with its mayor.
Mayor B.H. “Skip” Henderson III stated the town has already constructed up a historical past of alternate and coexistence with Korean universities and employees. He believes Columbus will thrive additional if its new alliance with Jinju shifts towards making a welcoming atmosphere for brand new Korean companies.
“Our sister-city cope with Jinju will develop in plenty of alternative ways. An fascinating factor about our go to to Jinju is that every member of the Columbus delegation for this journey has totally different areas of particular curiosity, they usually all profit from a relationship with a metropolis like Jinju,” Henderson stated in an interview with The Korea Occasions in Seoul on Oct. 29.
The interview befell a day after the conclusion of the two-day 2025 Jinju Worldwide Discussion board on Entrepreneurship, the place Henderson joined representatives from the Korean metropolis’s enterprise funding company, training sector and native firms to guide a key session. The mayor highlighted that Columbus’ deep-rooted spirit of “servant management” amongst native enterprise leaders resonates with that of Jinju — the birthplace of founders of worldwide conglomerates comparable to LG, Samsung, GS and Hyosung — which has earned it a repute because the cradle of “Okay-entrepreneurship.”
Columbus Mayor Henderson, sixth from proper, and Jinju Mayor Jo Kyoo-il, middle, have a good time signing a sister-city settlement between the 2 cities at Jinju Metropolis Corridor in South Gyeongsang Province, Oct. 26. Courtesy of Jinju Metropolis
Henderson signed the sister-city settlement with Jinju Mayor Jo Kyoo-il on Oct. 26. The deal included establishing shut ties, selling exchanges, sharing information and data and creating a good atmosphere for sustainable cooperation.
The Jinju discussion board started on Oct. 27. On the primary day, the mayor highlighted some parallels between Columbus and Jinju as context for the sister-city settlement. He stated each cities noticed main development within the textile business, skilled important industrial growth alongside their native rivers and have a historical past of distinguished enterprise management that improved the lives of native residents.
He added that each cities boast superior manufacturing industries and share ambitions to strategically develop their aerospace sectors. Columbus State College President Stuart Rayfield and Missy Kendrick, president and CEO of the town’s funding promotion company Select Columbus, additionally participated within the session devoted to the U.S. metropolis.
“Wouldn’t it’s actually nice if we may carry to Columbus one other discussion board just like the Jinju discussion board to actually put a stamp of globalism? If we may carry one other discussion board about entrepreneurship to Columbus and nonetheless name it Okay-entrepreneurship, in order that it provides Jinju the credit score, however actually begin having these communications within the international context,” stated Henderson, son of a 1950-53 Korean Warfare veteran.
That might be a terrific place to begin bringing Koreans from their nation and carry that one other step additional.”
Columbus has a Korean inhabitants of round 2,200, the second-largest in Georgia after Atlanta. Koreans are actually an integral a part of the town’s business and training. Korean vehicle big Kia has its solely American manufacturing plant within the state, positioned 64 kilometers north of Columbus. Kendrick famous that staff of the plant’s suppliers and their households have settled in Columbus, including to the town’s Korean inhabitants.
The Korea Protection Veterans Affiliation celebrates the institution of its regional chapter at Columbus State College in Georgia, Aug. 29, 2024. The chapter marks the nonprofit group’s first primarily based at an American college. Entrance row proper is Lee Dae-woo, director of the Korean Institute at Columbus State College. Courtesy of Columbus State College
“It’s a chance to supply that Korean neighborhood, tradition and way of life to potential new industries which can be coming in,” she stated. “Columbus has a big Korean inhabitants. So we need to leverage that and create a welcoming house for Korean firms that may be inquisitive about coming to the U.S. and particularly to Columbus.”
The Korean neighborhood’s presence in Columbus is especially sturdy within the subject of training. At Columbus State College, about 5 p.c of school members are from Korea. Earlier this 12 months, the college established the Korean Institute at Columbus State College to advertise a deeper understanding of Korean research and strengthen ties throughout the Georgia-Korea financial partnership.
The college has additionally fashioned partnerships with 5 Korean universities, creating a variety of alternate alternatives. As a part of one such program, piano college students from Chonnam Nationwide College in Gwangju visited Columbus State’s Schwob College of Music earlier this 12 months for a two-week masterclass residency.
Henderson believes the Columbus-Jinju partnership has given him an opportunity to discover new methods for his metropolis to develop additional.
“One of many thrilling issues about this sister metropolis relationship is that there’s an outward acknowledgement from each Jinju and Columbus that that is one thing we actually need to discover,” he stated.
“We need to search for methods to attempt to carry a mess of Korean firms to Columbus, Ga., and that’s one of many issues that we see as an incredible alternative for each cities.”
