TNECD staff were honored to have Consul General Seong-jin Kim of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta visit our office today.
The Consul General and Commissioner Bill Gibbons of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the mutual recognition and exchange of driver’s licenses in Tennessee and Korea. The document allows both parties to exchange an equivalent driver’s license issued by the other party and will be another advantage Tennessee can offer Korean companies.
Korea is among the top five countries for foreign investment in Tennessee with nine Korean businesses in the state. Korean companies employ a workforce of more than 1,400 and have invested nearly $1 billion in Tennessee.
Just yesterday, Hankook Tire America Corp announced plans to locate its North American headquarters in Nashville, representing an investment of approximately $5 million and the creation of up to 200 new jobs. Hankook is the fastest growing tire company in the world, with over 20,000 global employees. This will be Hankook’s second facility in Tennessee. In 2014, the company broke ground on a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Clarksville that will be completed later this year.
Consul General Kim joined representatives from 10 Korean companies located in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast for a business seminar today to discuss doing business in Tennessee. Presentations were made by Commissioner Boyd along with Assistant Commissioner of Business Development Allen Borden, Workforce Development Director Ann Thompson, Project Manager Victoria Hirschberg and Director of Foreign Direct Investment Andrew Dunn.
