“This is all about relationships,” Fulton County Commission Chairman Rob Pitts said, “and this is the foundation of the relationship between this historic city and Fulton County and the cities in southern Fulton County.”
Pitts visited Seongnam in August and returned in April with delegations from the county, College Park, East Point and Fairburn.
“The purpose of my visit to Korea is two-fold: first, to introduce Fulton County, Georgia to government officials, business leaders and the general public, and second, to find Korean companies interested in investing in Fulton County,” he said.
Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin said the reciprocal visit was a direct response to Pitts’ visit.
Seongnam, a city of about 1 million people, is home to Pangyo Tech Valley, a development and manufacturing complex that is home to more than 1,000 high-tech companies. Shin supported stronger ties between the region and Fulton County, and predicted that this formal agreement is just the beginning of cooperation that will lead to further development on both sides.
Kwanza Hall, vice president of Develop Fulton, said he expects “logistics, robotics and AI” companies to invest in Fulton County, emphasizing that the southern half of the county is the target.
After the signing ceremony, local and Korean representatives posed for a group photo and exchanged official gifts.
On Saturday evening, the South Korean delegation received a welcoming reception at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, where a similar agreement was signed between College Park and the South Korean company Hills Robotics. Shin said the deal is for the sale of two of Hills’ robots, which will be on display in the city. A similar deal is also in the works with Fairburn, he said.
College Park City Councilman Joe Kahn, who took part in Seongnam’s visit in April, said the visit included development proposals for 23 businesses, several of which expressed interest in setting up operations here.
The Korean government officials’ itinerary for their visit to Fulton County includes meetings at Georgia Tech, College Park, East Point and Fairburn.
The letter from Hills Robotics said the company wants to work with the county and Georgia Tech in a strategic partnership for research and development.
