Not long after visiting the heavily guarded 155-mile strip of land that divides the Korean Peninsula, Gov. Brian Kemp contemplated his visit on national TV from a quiet spot in downtown Seoul.
“We’re on the front lines of democracy versus tyranny,” Kemp told NewsNation of his visit to the Demilitarized Zone, the start of a 10-day trip to South Korea.
When Kemp last visited the Asian nation five years ago, the newly elected governor’s trip was hardly on the radar beyond Georgia. Now, as he looks to stay in the national conversation, Kemp’s international missions pack a different sort of political punch.
If the term-limited governor decides to seek federal office — a challenge to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026 or a presidential bid in 2028 — his allies hope his recent overseas visits to Israel, Davos, Switzerland, and South Korea can help round out a foreign-policy weak spot on his resume.
And the 10-day trip with a delegation will also highlight economic projects that have helped reshape Georgia’s economy into a burgeoning green energy hub.
Chief among them is Hyundai, which is building a $7.6 billion electric vehicle plant in southeast Georgia. The Metaplant is the largest economic development project in state history, and it’s underwritten by a $1.8 billion government incentive package that also set a Georgia record.
Hyundai announced the project as Kemp was battling for a second term in office against opponents from both his conservative and liberal flanks, and the rollout gave him a boost at a pivotal moment in his campaign.
Like other recent South Korean projects, Hyundai will benefit from a federal green energy package backed by President Joe Biden that Kemp and other Republicans oppose as wasteful spending.
In Kemp’s view, Republican policies at the state level — and not the billions of federal dollars on clean energy incentives and infrastructure improvements — have fostered the industry’s surge in Georgia.
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As Democrats tie Biden’s tax and climate change policies to the spree of announcements, Kemp asks a different question: If the subsidies are offered nationwide, then why are so many projects picking Georgia?
Qcells, a solar manufacturer based in South Korea, is one focus of Kemp’s visit this week.
Qcells directly linked its $2.5 billion expansion in 2023 to the Biden-backed health and tax measure that Congress passed despite unanimous GOP objections. But the firm has also showered praise on Kemp, along with state and local officials, for laying the groundwork.
For Kemp, there are risks in positioning the state as a growing energy hub that has plainly benefited from Biden’s agenda. But as the governor indicated in Seoul, he’s pressing forward with his approach while trying to seal new clean energy deals overseas.
“It’s all systems go here.”
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