Opening Remarks
Korean Studies Forum in Atlanta, Georgia

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Price Gilbert Memorial Library (Price Gilbert 1280)
Amb. Gheewhan Kim, President, The Korea Foundation

(Greetings)
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,

I am Gheewhan Kim, President of the Korea Foundation. It is a great pleasure to visit Atlanta and Georgia Institute of Technology, and to have the opportunity to meet with Korean studies professors from the Southern United States.

I want to express my gratitude to Vice Provost for International Initiatives at Georgia Institute of Technology, Bernard Kippelen for organizing this timely and groundbreaking forum in Atlanta.

My special thanks go to Professor Yongtaek Kim(김용택), director of Korean Program, for his excellent preparation and contributions in making this event happen.
I would like to thank two special participants, the Honorable Gunn Kim(김건), distinguished member of the National Assembly, and Mr. Scott Snyder, president and Chief Executive Officer of Korea Economic Institute of America(KEI) in Washington DC, and all distinguished guests and participants joining us today.

I also thank Professor Ki-tae NAM(남기태), Former Science and Tech Coordinator of the Former President Yoon Government, who came a long distance from MIT, Boston to moderate the second session of the Forum.

The event today marks the third Korean Studies Forum to be held in U.S., following previous gatherings in Austin, Texas in May 2024, and Indianapolis, Indiana in March 2025.

The forum will open with a session that explores current trends in Korean Studies in Georgia and the Southern United States and will discuss possible pathways for collaboration that reflect interdisciplinary developments in the field.

This will be followed by a fireside chat that talks on the Korea-United States strategic partnership, sharing insights on how the two countries can navigate an increasingly complex global landscape.
The second session will focus on discussing how the Korean Studies could be helpful to strengthen a trifecta cooperation among academia, industry and the government.

(Korean Studies in the U.S.)
The KF, since its establishment in 1991, has supported a total of 170 Korean studies professorships around the world, including 103 professors in the United States.

Only 11 of these professorships are currently based in the Southern United States. I hope we together could increase and strengthen Korean Studies in this region.

We also have a purpose to share of promoting greater collaboration among Korean Studies programs in different universities. By encouraging the sharing of resources and the development of regional e-school efforts, we try to help build a connected and robust Korean Studies network in the region.

One notable example is the KF-BTAA Global e-School program, led by the Nam Center for Korean Studies at the University of Michigan. I would like to introduce and appreciate Professor Youngju Ryu(류영주) for her exemplary leadership in advancing this initiative, and I hope she could talk and share the successful Midwestern model with Georgia and other Southern United States.

(Expansion of Korean Studies)
The subjects of current Korean Studies are not limited to language, literature, history, and anthropology. Now, they are growing, in response to academic and public demands, and extending into art and design, film and drama, digital content, communication, and science and tech exchanges. The Korean Studies now span almost all academic and practical disciplines.

Georgia is home to vibrant Korean American community and growing number of Korean companies and their large investments are making great contributions to the local communities and the jobs and the economy. The recent opening of Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant America(HMGMA) in Ellabell, Bryan County, Georgia is an excellent illustration in this regard.

This is a $12.6 billion investment project of the largest smart manufacturing facility in the United States, creating a total of 8,500 jobs by 2031. The partnership between the state of Georgia and Korean companies is a great example of how the Korea and the U.S. generate mutual benefits - extending economic partnership to include education, talent development and strategic cooperation.

(Closing) In closing, I look forward to your lively and productive discussions on the modern/contemporary Korean Studies in the Southern United States, that reflect new pathways of collaboration, innovation, and interdisciplinary growth.

Thank you.