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SALT LAKE CITY — A senior South Korean official in Utah this week doesn't expect much change in the long-standing relationship between his country and the United States regardless of who occupies the White House after the November election.
Lim Jung-taek, consul general of South Korea in San Francisco, told the Deseret News in an interview that it's "kind of taboo" to focus much on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Both countries depend on each other in a mutually beneficial relationship that won't change with whomever is elected, he said.
"I don't worry about the future of the bilateral relationship," Lim said, noting it goes back more than 70 years to the Korean War.
As consul general, Lim's role is less political and more about advancing trade and cultural relationships, which is what brought him to Utah. He works to protect the rights of Koreans in the U.S. and promote his country's economy and culture. His region covers northern California, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, where more than 280,000 Koreans work in various fields including high tech, law, medicine and the arts. About half are U.S. citizens.
On Wednesday, Lim presented Ambassador of Peace medals to the families of Korean War veterans at Memory Grove in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, he attended a luncheon with Utah businesses put on by World Trade Center Utah and met with Gov. Spencer Cox, who is leading a trade mission to South Korea and Japan in September.
Utah-Korea relationship
"Korea has had a long trade and cultural relationship with Utah. In fact, Korea is Utah's ninth largest export market and we share many of the same targeted industries, including life sciences, advanced manufacturing, tech, aerospace and financial services," said Jennifer Napier-Pearce, the governor's spokewoman.
Cox's meeting with Lim focused on preparing for the trip, the Utah-Korea relationship and future areas for collaboration, she said.
Lim, who was appointed consul general in January, said he wants to take the trade relationship between Utah and South Korea to "another level."
Jonathan Freedman, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah, said there are "lots of synergies, lots of excitement" between Utah and Korea as the state strengthens its trade corridor with the East Asian nation. World Trade Center Utah, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, is opening an office on the University of Utah Asia campus in Incheon, South Korea, this month.
"Our intention is to help Utah companies grow internationally into that market ... but also work with the governor's office to foster more direct investment to Utah from South Korea and Japan," he said.
Also, Delta Air Lines is exploring a nonstop flight between Salt Lake City and Seoul, Freedman said.
South Korea has the 13th-largest economy in the world. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting and supporting U.S. companies in doing business with Korean companies, has existed since 1962. Also, about 37% of overseas Korean startups operate in North America, of which around half are working in Silicon Valley.
Trade and tensions in East Asia
The U.S. recently became the top destination for Korean investment as companies have turned away from China, Lim said, adding he expects the volume to increase in coming years.
Foreign direct investment or FDI by South Korean companies in China dropped 78.1% to $1.87 billion in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to data released by the Finance Ministry in March, per Bloomberg. China fell out of the top five destinations for South Korean FDI, with manufacturing leading the decline, the ministry said.
The U.S. is also close to overtaking China as the biggest destination for South Korean exports, which include everything from semiconductors to automobiles.
"In the past, Korean companies invested a lot in the Chinese market. But because of the change of the international situation, Korean companies are moving their factories to other countries. The United States is one of the destinations Korean companies are going for," Lim said.
Lim said it's difficult for Korea to navigate the growing tensions between the U.S. and China, though he added that Koreans have an opportunity to benefit from the rivalry between the two powers.
"Korean people are juggling every day," he said.
Lim described the relationships between North Korea and South Korea as "not good. I'm worried about it getting worse." North Korea supplied Russia with artillery shells used to attack Ukraine and its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles is "quite worrisome," he said.
The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement, not a peace agreement, leaving the two governments on the peninsula officially still at war. Lim said about 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.
"The U.S. presence is very important in securing South Korea's stability," Lim said. "In that sense, the alliance between Korea and the United States is very important. ... If we maintain that kind of strong relationship, North Korea cannot invade South Korea. That's kind of the bedrock of South Korea's security."
Honoring Korean War veterans
On Wednesday at the Korean War memorial in Memory Grove, Lim presented Ambassador of Freedom medals to the families of seven Utah men who fought in the war.
"About 74 years ago, young soldiers from diverse backgrounds bravely answered the call to support democracy and freedom of Korea against communist aggression," he said. "Their bravery and sacrifice laid the foundation for Korea to emerge from the devastation of war and flourish into a beacon of democracy and economic prosperity."
The Korean government created the award several years ago to thank U.S. soldiers who served in the war. Robert Mansfield, honorary consul for South Korea in Utah, said hundreds of Utahns have received the medal so far and he hopes to get every veteran in the state.
Edward Holland, who died in 2014 at age 79, was among 21,500 Utahns who fought in the Korean War. His son, Bill Holland, accepted the medal on his behalf. Edward Holland joined the Navy at 17 and served on the USS Cunningham, a destroyer that engaged in combat along the coast of Korea.
"It's nice to see they still remember all the sacrifices the guys made," Bill Holland said. "He always credited the Navy with saving his life. It got his head straight forward. He was always very proud of his service."
