“We have everything to gain by working together”: Virginia – Korea Relations

In 1973, the Korea-U.S. Economic Council (KUSEC) formed “to boost mutual understanding and to strengthen economic ties between the US and Korea.” This private organization “is committed to bolstering trade, investment, and technological cooperation and strengthening economic exchanges,” as well as supporting Korean students and government officials in the United States.¹ Beginning in 1979, the organization began to sign memoranda of understanding with individual states and, five years later, with regions. On October 17, 1985, the organization signed a memorandum of understanding with Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia that created the Southeast U.S.-Korea Economic Committee (SEUS/Korea).² The organization’s mission was to “promote friendly relations among the members in international trade, cultural exchanges, technology, and commerce.”³ Virginia Governor Charles S. Robb signed the agreement at noon on that day at a ceremony on the seventh floor of the World Trade Center/Korea Building in Seoul and followed the event with a cocktail reception and business luncheon.⁴ Ultimately, between 1979 and 2001, memoranda of understanding were signed with 39 states either individually or regionally (as was the case with Virginia), or sometimes both.⁵

SEUS/Korea met for the first time in Miami Beach, Florida, the following year on April 20, 21, and 22 of 1986. The next year, they convened in Seoul, South Korea, on October 12 and 13. These meetings were meant to be introductory, with sessions on the South Korean economy, trade, investment, and business experiences, as well as question and answer sessions.⁶

On October 13, 1987, it was announced that Virginia would be the location of a third meeting instead of Georgia, which was “ambivalent about financing the meeting” according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. The newspaper reported further that Governor Gerald L. Baliles was “scarcely concealing his delight. . .[and] said the conference will show South Korean businessmen the state’s commitment to compete for their trade.” The plan was to hold the meeting in the eastern part of the state but include trips to Northern Virginia, Richmond, Roanoke, and Hampton Roads. Department of Economic Development Director Hugh Keough described the meeting as “a coup” and viewed it as “tangible evidence of Virginia’s receptivity to Korean business.”

At the time, livestock, lumber, and tobacco were primary exports, but Governor Baliles wished to add machinery, as well as biomedical and communications projects.⁷ He also promoted coal, chicken feet, wine, seafood, and Virginia’s ports.⁸ According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch, “In Korea and other newly industrialized countries, he sees fruitful markets for Virginia. The state has had to play catch-up in Japan because previous administrations were slow to see its potential.”⁹

The conference itself was significant and important for Virginia, but it was also part of Governor Baliles’s “on-going initiatives that are designed to raise the awareness and international understanding among Virginia’s current and future business, political, education, and student leaders, thereby enabling them to participate and compete more effectively in an increasingly global society.”¹⁰ Indeed, Governor Baliles declared 1987 to be “The Year of Trade,” the agenda for which included the creation of the Virginia international trade council that would develop a “plan for integrating existing resources and creating a trade marketing plan,” creating “clearer goals” for international trade missions, promoting the study of languages and geography, and promoting the Center for World Trade to promote trade among small businesses.¹¹

At the request of Governor Baliles, the College of William and Mary created and sponsored a “first of its kind in the state” Governor’s Summer Seminar on International Understanding: East Asia and the Republic of Korea.¹² Participants were to include “The 60-100 corporate leaders and public officials from Virginia who will be invited by the Governor to participate in the November 1988 Korean Trade Conference in Williamsburg” and:

A cadre of 25 carefully selected three-person ‘community teams’ (each consisting of a local business leader, an outstanding K-12 classroom teacher, and a gifted high school student) that will be drawn from throughout Virginia, identified during spring 1988, and prepared during the summer of 1988 to serve during the next year as the Governor’s international education emissaries in their home communities” and serve as a “resource for the November conference.¹³

Governor Baliles was determined to make sure that the conference participants would truly make the most of their opportunity. In fact, he laid the groundwork for success stating, while traveling to Seoul on October 6th, that “The importance of Korea could not be greater. Virginia wants to be a partner in Korea’s growing prosperity.”¹⁴

International conferences require an enormous amount of work. The Department of Economic Development began planning as soon as the conference was announced. By November 5, 1987, they had already suggested the dates of November 11 to 15 in Colonial Williamsburg, which was chosen because it “offers an attractive environment for this group, along with a staff well-versed in handling international conferences,” and space was already booked at the Williamsburg Inn, the Williamsburg Lodge, and the Lightfoot House. Ideas for extra activities included “a helicopter tour of Hampton Roads followed by a visit to an aircraft carrier; a visit to the nearby Anheuser Busch brewery,” a major reception with a Virginia theme, and opportunities to play tennis or golf.¹⁵

The planning committee met in mid-January in Georgia to make preliminary plans, and much of the work was delegated to the Virginia Department of Economic Development. Choices had to be made about the content of the program. The decision to have speakers and panelists rather than concurrent workshops was made quickly, as was a list of possible topics: U.S. economy; U.S. trade legislation; the South Korean economic plan for U.S. investment; South Korean politics; site selection methodology; how to work with state development departments; legalities in the U.S. such as taxation, immigration, environmental, and labor laws; topics concerning exporting to the U.S. including labeling and product liability; exporting to South Korea; and intellectual property rights. The leaders of these sessions were to be “practitioners” such as “lawyers, economists, exporters, consultants, etc.,” rather than governors. Pre-conference activities were to be in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, narrowing from Governor Baliles’s original recommendation of also including Richmond and Roanoke. In terms of conference attendees, planners wanted each state to have a delegation of 35 people and to have a ratio of three representatives from the private sector to one representative from the public sector. The South Korean delegation was to include 75 people, and invitations were to be issued by Rhim Kwang-Von, the executive managing director of the Korea-U.S. Economic Council, Inc. (KUSEC), and Governor Baliles planned to send a letter encouraging attendance as well. Conference planners could select names from a list of 148 individuals based in South Korea and another 75 individuals based in the United States that was compiled by KUSEC. Spouses could attend, but there were no specific events planned for them.

The planners did not want to leave anything to chance. The operations manual for the event includes maps; procedures and supplies needed for the registration/information desk, office space for staff, and press center; procedures for State Police; staff working schedules; list of gifts to be presented throughout the conference; arrival information including accompanying guests, mode of travel, arrival time, and security needs of dignitaries; golf pairings based on handicap; speaker biographies; seating charts; menus and special instructions for meals; attendee lists; a planning schedule; miscellaneous information such as anticipated temperatures and probability of rain; and a financial statement of predicted costs, which were expected to total $150,000.00.¹⁶ Given how expensive the event would be, fundraising was required whether or not money was budgeted by the General Assembly.¹⁷

After months of planning, on November 13, 14, and 15 of 1988, Governor Gerald L. Baliles hosted the annual meeting in Williamsburg. The participants included representatives from businesses, banks, and law firms; trade associations and economic organizations; members of the South Korean Embassy, including Ambassador Tong-Jin Park; governors, and members of state and local agencies. There were 32 individuals in the South Korean delegation, including 13 based in South Korea and another 19 based in the United States.

The seven southern states represented sent their own delegations, as well: 38 from Alabama, 20 from Florida, 22 each from Georgia and North Carolina, 32 each from South Carolina and Tennessee, and 44 from Virginia. Support staff included representatives from the Department of Economic Development, Governor’s Office, State Police, Virginia Community College System, Department of Information Technology, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Department of Planning and Budget, and C&P Telephone Company of Virginia, Inc.¹⁸

Conference Program

Conference attendees had full schedules. Activities began on Thursday, November 10, with representatives from the Department of Economic Development meeting delegates at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and arranging for transportation to Williamsburg. Pre-conference events began on November 12 with tours of NASA, Norfolk’s U.S. Naval Base, and Douglas MacArthur Museum, and receptions for the South Korea and Virginia delegations. On November 13, conference participants were given the option of playing golf at the Golden Horseshoe Course, and there was a welcoming reception in the evening.¹⁹ The real work of the conference began on Monday, November 14, with a plenary session consisting of words of welcome from SEUS/Korea Chairman Richard M. Bagley, KUSEC Chairman Cha-Hak Koo, six governors and one lieutenant governor, and former Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Jin-Ho Kum.

Governor Baliles noted in his remarks that “Trade is Virginia’s history and its destiny, and stands as a principle linkage to Korea.”²⁰ Chairman Koo noted that “compared with, for example, the West Coast, the southeast is relatively unfamiliar to many Korean businessmen. A good start has been made in filling the knowledge gap. . . .However, still much more needs to be done.”²¹ The majority of the conference concerned topical business sessions on trade issues, investment issues, and legal issues. It concluded with closing remarks by Ambassador Tong-Jin Park and a luncheon. The delegates also enjoyed meals, receptions, and a performance by the Madisonians from James Madison University.²²

According to a summary of the event that was published in the KUSEC Newsletter, “Both delegations agreed that the Third Annual KSEUSEC-SEUSKEC Conference heralded a new phase in the joint committee’s progress. The shift of emphasis from the ‘ceremonial’ to the ‘business’ side at the Third Conference was generally welcomed as a positive development, auguring well for the future.”²³ Thank you notes received by Governor Baliles tell a similar story. KUSEC Chairman Cha-Hak Koo wrote a letter to Governor Baliles declaring that:

Nothing was left undone to provide for our comfort, and the conference location in your beautiful state was most impressive. I felt like we were sitting in the midst of an American history textbook. Your planning including tours to Yorktown, U.S.S. America, MacArthur Memorial, NASA Visitor Center, and Jamestown was a [sic] superb and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. In addition, the conference was most profitable and stimulating. I was so impressed by the cordiality of the group and become [sic] a firm believer in your brand of southern hospitality. The deepening of understanding between our two countries has been a meaningful and beneficial result of our economic conferences.²⁴

Robert W. Wagner of the Investment Division of realty company Sudler Marling, Inc. of Tampa, Florida, echoed similar sentiments, declaring that, “It was an uplifting experience” and that he “had not one unpleasant experience.”²⁵

The conference’s closing remarks as printed in Korea Business World provide a good summary of the event:

Bringing the three-day event to a close, Chairman Koo praised the conference as ‘not a mere ceremonial affair, but a serious, issue-oriented undertaking.’ Added Governor Baliles, ‘In the hearts of Americans, there is an emotional and intellectual tie with Korean people. . .Now let us realize that our economic aspirations are intertwined—and know that we must act accordingly. We have everything to gain by working together.’ ²⁶

And, indeed, the partnership continued with another joint meeting in Colonial Williamsburg one decade later, with Governor James S. Gilmore as host. His talking points for a press conference that was held on November 9, 1998, note that:

Virginia is honored to host the 13^th Annual SEUS-Korea Joint Conference here in Colonial Williamsburg. Today more Korean companies are choosing to invest in Virginia. There is no better time to renew old friendships and foster new relationships between Korean businesses and the Commonwealth of Virginia. . . .Today, Korea is Virginia’s fourth largest trading partner. Virginia exports more than $750 million of Virginia’s products to the Republic of Korea, including such products as state-of-the-art transportation equipment, tobacco and coal.

He concluded his talking points by stating that “We are proud of our relationship with the Republic of Korea. We support South Korea today with the same enthusiasm that built our friendship in years past. We look forward to continuing the process of economic partnership as, together, we move into the 21^st century.”²⁷