Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday he will lead a Georgia delegation to South Korea for a weeklong mission to celebrate the state’s business relationship with the Asian country’s corporate community, which is erecting manufacturing plants and warehouses across the Peach State.
The Republican governor, first lady Marty Kemp and several Georgia officials will meet with Korean companies that have made high-profile domestic investments across the automotive manufacturing, solar panel, technology and food industries.
Korea was Kemp’s first international trip in 2019 after he was elected governor. In the years since that visit, his office has made a flurry of large announcements about Korean investments — including the largest economic development project in state history, a massive Hyundai Motor Group plant near Savannah.
“The Republic of Korea was the very first country I visited when I became governor for a good reason — because of the incredible partners located there,” Kemp said in a news release. “Marty and I are glad to return so that we can reinforce those great friendships that are bringing historic investments and jobs to communities all across the state.”
The international business pilgrimage, which began Tuesday with Kemp’s arrival in Korea, comes at a nexus point for his political future. The second-term governor has made business recruitment a cornerstone of his campaigns as he builds political influence as a high-profile Republican, despite his clashes with party head Donald Trump. He’s also an oft-floated name to potentially challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026 or run for president himself in 2028.
The roughly 10-day trip will feature meetings with several existing industries that are either operational or under construction in Georgia, including Hyundai, Kia, CJ Foodville, Hanwha Qcells, LG Group and SK Group.
Korea has emerged as one of Georgia’s most important international business partners, especially in recent years. The country was Georgia’s top foreign investor for the past three years, and Korean companies announced more than $10 billion in investments and 12,605 jobs across Georgia during the 2023 fiscal year.
The largest contributor to the past few years of Korean investment in Georgia was Hyundai’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle “Metaplant” in Bryan County, which is expected to employ 8,500 workers in addition to attracting a vast network of suppliers to Coastal Georgia. The automotive juggernaut in late 2022 also announced a joint $5 billion EV battery plant in Bartow County with SK On, just a few weeks before Qcells announced a $2.5 billion expansion to its Georgia solar panel production footprint.
The pipeline of Korean announcements and accolades has been consistent, but state leaders are not resting on their laurels, said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. There are more Korean corporate projects they’re looking to recruit.
“We have a number of very hot, active projects that we’re trying to get over the finish line,” Wilson said of the confidential business meetings. “So the governor will be able to go in, be the best salesman and hopefully close the deal on some of these projects.”
In many cases, the final sales pitch includes hefty taxpayer-backed incentive packages. To woo Hyundai’s Metaplant to Georgia, state and local officials offered a $1.8 billion package of tax breaks, grants, infrastructure and worker training — the largest in state history. The SK-Hyundai battery venture also commanded a $641 million incentive package.
Cody Hall, Kemp’s former spokesman, said on Tuesday’s Politically Georgia podcast that landing the initial investment from companies, especially large operations like vehicle manufacturing, helps spur ancillary projects.
“When you announce these big projects with large investments and a large number of jobs, you then have the ripple effects of attracting smaller companies that either plug into the supply chain of those larger projects or just want to be around a larger project that attracts a larger workforce,” Hall said.
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
The state delegation visiting Korea will also include state Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, R-Macon, state Rep. Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville, and state Rep. Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro, in addition to officials from the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Environmental Protection Division and Georgia Ports Authority. Hyundai will host a “Georgia Day” event during the trip to celebrate the burgeoning relationship between the Peach State and Korean companies.
Wilson says the festivities help accomplish two goals. They show Georgia’s Korean partners that the state values their investment, while also showing those companies’ contemporaries that Georgia is a place they should consider when planning overseas projects.
“You create this center of gravity where Korean companies are saying, ‘Well my gosh, if Hyundai and SK and LG can all be successful in Georgia, so can we,’” Wilson said.
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