Dear Cobb Chamber member,

     Cobb County and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce have an exciting opportunity before them. We have been contacted by Mr. Sunny Park, a regional leader in the business community and Mayor Lee of Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, Korea to develop a Sister-City relationship between Cobb County and Seongdong-Gu. There have been some preliminary discussions between Cobb business, government, and community leaders and representatives from the Korean-American community in Cobb County.
     Sister Cities International is a non-profit diplomacy network celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The goals of this program are to:

     Sister Cities International is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors and represents 714 communities with nearly 2,000 partnerships. It offers programs in International Arts and Culture, Youth and Education, Humanitarian Assistance, and Sustainable Development. Although 14 communities in Georgia have sister cities as part of Sister Cities International, none of these communities has a sister city in Korea. Cobb County would be the only one.
     Seongdong-Gu is located in Seoul, Korea and is similar to what we would call a county. It was incorporated in 1910 and has a current population of 341,000 within 6.5 square miles. Main industries include transportation hub, manufacturing, and logistics/warehousing. The city of Seoul has a population of 10.3 million rising to a daytime population of 15 million. There are 11,500 Americans living in Seoul. Temperatures range from the high nineties in the summer months to around zero during the coldest winter months.
     In Cobb County, there are over 3,500 Koreans and Korean-Americans. In addition to local churches, a number of other organizations and businesses serve the Korean-American community in Cobb County. They include the following:

      ● Korea-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce

      ● The National Association of Asian-American Professionals-
     Atlanta

      ● Asian-American Resource Center

      ● Consulate General of the Republic of Korea

      ● Atlanta Korean Lions Club

      ● Korean-American Grocers Association

      ● Korean Association of Greater Atlanta

      ● American Korea Friendship Society

     Four Korean international businesses located in Cobb County are Hanjin Shipping, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Hyundai Motor America, and Kia Motors. Other Korean-American businesses in the county include a variety of small businesses such as restaurants, dental and medical clinics. Mr. John Lee of the Korea-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce states that there are approximately 4,000 Korean-American businesses in the greater Atlanta area and 80% of them are located in Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb, and Cobb.
     The Georgia State Legislature proclaimed January 13, 2007 as Korean American Day in recognition of the significant contributions of Korean Americans to the economic vitality of the U.S. and global marketplaces; their strong family ties, community support, and hard work; and their invigoration of businesses, churches, and academic communities in the United States.
     Active participation by the local community is the key to developing a successful, effective sister city partnership. We would like to have participation from children and the schools, local businesses, churches and places of worship, faith-based organizations, the arts community, local government, and members of the Cobb Korean-American community.
     There can be many benefits from an active sister city relationship. There are opportunities for economic and community development, encouraging new businesses and strengthening existing business relationships as well as opportunities for cultural and educational exchanges for our citizens. As we participate more and more in the global marketplace, it is important that we are prepared to benefit from the unique challenges and opportunities that await us.
     A strong sister city program can provide benefits to both parties but is only as good as the support/participation of the members and the community as a whole. We encourage our business community to define beneficial relationships that can/will encourage business between our partners.
     Your input and involvement is very important to us. We look forward to hearing your suggestions and recommendation to how we can make this partnership more viable.
     Please send you recommendations to info@cobbchamber.org, subject: Cobb County/Cobb Chamber Sister City Initiative.