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| Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan, left, shakes hand with KITA Chairman Christopher Koo at a hotel in Seoul, on Sept. 19. Courtesy of KITA |
By Kim Jae-heun
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan visited the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) in Seoul, Monday, for a meeting with its chairman, Christopher Koo, to discuss a range of economic issues involving Korea and the United States, according to KITA officials.
Hogan, called by some here as the "Korean son-in-law" because he is married to Korean American Yumi Hogan, came to Korea with his economic mission on Sept. 13. He met with President Yoon Suk-yeol to share opinions on the new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Sept. 16.
"Korea and the United States are working closely together to build a sustainable global supply chain in the high-tech industries of semiconductors, secondary batteries and the bioindustry. Maryland, in particular, has competitiveness in the bio and aerospace sectors and Korea hopes to expand its cooperation with the American state in the future," KITA Chairman Christopher Koo said.
Hogan, of the Republican Party, also expressed his expectations about the continuous cooperation between Maryland and Korea.
"I am very proud of the solid relationship between Maryland and Korea. Korea has provided us with many opportunities in various fields including business, academia and culture. KITA has been our good partner for the past eight years and we look forward to continuing this cooperation in the future," Hogan said.
KITA also revealed its plan to meet with U.S. senators and state officials in early October to discuss countermeasures to some of the IRA's provisions and expanding professional visa quotas.
In addition, Korean representatives of U.S exporters such as Exicon, Seah Steel, Biosmart, Genesis BBQ and LabGenomics attended the meeting with Hogan to discuss the impact of the IRA and ways to expand economic cooperation with Maryland.
Meanwhile, Hogan last visited Korea and met with KITA in 2015. The following year, the governor welcomed the Korean economic mission that went to visit Maryland.
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