SOUTH KOREA CONNECTION
Ambassadors to and from South Korea joined area officials in Taylor this week to promote further economic development in the region.
The delegation’s stop in Williamson County was part of a tri-state tour designed to strengthen business ties with Texas, Michigan and Arizona.
The South Korean Ambassador to the United States Hyundong Cho and his American counterpart Philip S. Goldbert stopped at the Taylor High School library during a joint trip to Texas on Wednesday. They were joined by Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell, Taylor Mayor Dwayne Ariola and Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardson.
“You may be surprised to hear this, but there are a dozen Korean companies that call Williamson County home,” Gravell said to those gathered, ticking off a list of South Korean firms with a county presence.
While developing Samsung Austin Semiconductor plant in Taylor has commanded the headlines, Gravell invoked other firms to illustrate the
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Texas has become the top destination for Korean investment in the United States.”
-South Korean Ambassador to the United States Hyundong Cho historic business relationship with the Asian country — among them Soulbrain Holdings Co. Ltd. building a $575 million chemical plant in Taylor; Hanwha Advanced Materials LLC with its $100 million advanced high-tech manufacturing facility near Georgetown; and Wonik Materials Co. Ltd. constructing a $46 million facility in Manor.
An upcoming trip by county officials to South Korea will serve to further strengthen those ties, Gravell said, with some 60 meetings planned with more corporate prospects.
“We have multiple relationships, and we’re so excited about that,” Gravell said.
Agreeing with Gravell’s assessment, Cho noted the lure of Texas in general for South Korean investment.
“The relationship and alliance between our two countries have never been stronger,” he said. “When it comes to the relationship between Korea and the state of Texas, the future has never been brighter. Texas has become the top destination for Korean investment in the United States.”
The Samsung plant being built in Taylor served as a conversational centerpiece as officials lauded strong links between South Korean officials and those in Williamson County.
Expected to be fully operational in 2026, the Samsung plant — dubbed the Taylor fab by company officials — represents a $17 billion investment in the city when accounting for purchased buildings, property improvements and the cost of machinery and equipment, according to the company website.
“I’m here to show the unwavering support of the Korean government and for the Samsung property in Williamson County,” Cho said.
Goldbert noted the deep-seated links between the two nations.
“The relationship between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. is something that we treasure,” he said. “It was forged in blood during the Korean War and has now extended to other areas. It is a relationship that now is much broader than a security relationship — it goes into science and technology and many new areas.”
Calling the semiconductor industry the “oil of the 21st century,” Goldbert cited the Samsung plant as a good example of continued cooperation.
“We’re very proud this is such an important partnership between our two countries, and it’s happening right here in Taylor, Texas,” the ambassador said.
A stone’s throw from the high school library that served as a press conference staging area is a new University of Texas at Austin-Taylor Center, a 68-acre campus on U.S. 79 with a focus on semiconductor research and training.
“These industries that we’re talking about — semiconductors and the advent of (artificial intelligence), cybersecurity — these are the kinds of industries we need young people to concentrate in,” Goldbert said. “For these high school students, it gives them the idea that this is a good place to work and these are good avenues to study.”
Gravell envisioned a future of further interactions between both countries.
“There will be a day when we will be sending students to South Korea on a foreign exchange of students, and we will be welcoming South Korean students,” the judge said.
Cho shared a similar vision, using the Samsung plant to describe his perspective. He noted it was around 1996 when discussions first started on building the fab.
“This investment in Taylor is business for decades and generations to come,” Cho said. “This is the future of your younger generations here in Williamson
County.”
