Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is meeting with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs at the Seoul Finance Center. [사진=경기도]
Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs on the 22nd and exchanged various opinions on high-tech industries such as semiconductors and mobility between Gyeonggi Province and Arizona, as well as youth ladders.
Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Governor Katie Hobbs at the Seoul Finance Center and said, “Gyeonggi-do is a local government with the largest population and economy in Korea, where 64% of semiconductor companies are located, and high-tech industries such as batteries and mobility are developed, so we decided to form an innovation alliance with the state of Arizona.” “We will be able to pursue economic cooperation based on this,” he said, adding, “I hope that we will be able to exchange people with various excellent universities in Arizona through cooperation in the youth ladder project.”
In response to this, Governor Katie Hobbs said, “It is an honor to meet Governor Kim Dong-yeon and discuss opportunities for economic cooperation between the two regions. “We look forward to exploring economic cooperation and enhancing trade relations based on the commonality of focusing on innovation and fostering high-tech industries,” he said.
In response to Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s suggestion, “If I have the opportunity to visit Korea again, I would like to invite him to Suwon, where tradition and modernity blend together, and Pangyo Techno Valley, the Korean version of Silicon Valley,” Governor Hobbs responded that he looks forward to meeting again and continuing to develop relationships.
Gyeonggi Province has not had an exchange relationship with the state of Arizona so far, so this is the first meeting between local government heads from both regions.
This meeting took place when Arizona Governor Hobbs visited Korea to open the Korea Office of the State Trade Corporation, attract investment, and exchange in the economic field.
Governor Hobbs met with Governor Kim Dong-yeon for about an hour despite his busy schedule, and the conversation reportedly continued in a friendly atmosphere throughout.
In particular, during his visit to Korea, Governor Hobbs met with Prime Minister Han Deok-soo and a number of business figures to discuss exchange and cooperation plans, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is known to be the only domestic politician.
Governor Kim was the only domestic politician to meet with U.S. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who visited Korea in April, and discussed economic cooperation plans.
Arizona, located in the desert area of the southwestern United States, has recently become famous as a silicon desert reminiscent of California’s Silicon Valley.
Phoenix, Tucson, and Glendale in Arizona are innovation clusters where technology companies are concentrated, and research in high-tech industries such as semiconductors, AI, and IT is actively conducted.
Arizona is seeking to revitalize the local economy through low tax rates and simplification of regulations.
Gyeonggi-do and Arizona are centers of high-tech industries such as semiconductors and secondary batteries, and plan to build new exchange relationships as they believe they have something in common: they are focusing their capabilities on developing innovative technologies.
Starting with this meeting, we expect to continue economic cooperation based on the regional characteristics of both regions, while also creating synergy effects through the innovation alliance.
Meanwhile, since taking office, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon has exchanged with the U.S. governors of Michigan, Florida, Virginia, and Washington and decided to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Innovation Alliance for strategic industries such as eco-friendly mobility, new and renewable energy, semiconductors, and AI.
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