Hagman said there are a number of major South Korean companies already doing business in San Bernardino County, including LG Electronics, Nongshim USA, GCam, and State Pipe & Supply, adding that he is eager to encourage more companies to establish operations in the region.
To underscore the legacy of collaboration between San Bernardino County and South Korea, in April 2019 the County conducted an international trade and investment mission to South Korea to promote international trade and support relations between the County and potential South Korean economic partners. During that trade mission the County entered into an agreement with the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) to establish an ongoing cooperative relationship. IFEZ is a hub for logistics, international business, leisure, and tourism for the Northeast Asian region.
“As Chairman I have made it a priority to grow our global partnerships,” Hagman said. “Our efforts to advance these partnerships has shown results in greater trade and investment as we continue to ramp up our already robust efforts to increase exports, build relationships and strengthen partnerships, as we are doing here today. I welcome the opportunity to learn more about South Korea’s business initiatives and open dialogue to grow trade between South Korea and San Bernardino County. It is a great honor to host Consul General Kim and our trade partners.”
“Thank you for hosting this meaningful event,” Consul General Kim said. “As the world becomes more interconnected, interdependent and interrelated in so many different ways, we find that whatever affects one directly affects all of us indirectly. A local economy cannot be separated from international trade and investment.”
“Statistics show that the State of California and Republic of Korea are geographic neighbors only divided by the Pacific Ocean,” Kim added. “The Republic of Korea is the 6th largest trading partner for California. It is also the 15th largest investment source providing more than more than 13,000 jobs in the State of California. That is why it is important to have a chance to have San Bernardino County and Korean companies discuss ways to strengthen economic cooperation.”
He noted that as we are all undergoing a global supply chain crisis, building reliable supply chain partners is more important than ever. “San Bernardino County has always shown its support for direct investment of Korean firms. The consulate is ready to provide any support to facilitate business relationships between the County and Korean businesses,” Kim said.
Nongshim USA General Manager Ray Adams also spoke during the roundtable, sharing that the company, recognized as South Korea's largest instant noodle maker, had recently completed construction of its second U.S. factory, located in Rancho Cucamonga. He added that the new production line would produce 350 million packs of instant noodles, increasing its annual production capacity in the United States to 850 million. The noodle maker has another plant in Rancho Cucamonga as well.