Seoul, June 30 (IANS) The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said on Monday it has dispatched an auto parts delegation to the US state of Georgia to help domestic manufacturers explore investment opportunities amid rising protectionist trade measures from Washington.

Jointly organised by the Gyeonggi Province government, the auto parts investment delegation visited the cities of Atlanta and Savannah for three days from Wednesday, with 10 South Korean auto parts firms participating.

The programme included investment seminars, consultations with Georgia state officials and on-site visits to existing South Korean manufacturing operations, including Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, which was completed in March, reports Yonhap news agency.

Georgia has emerged as a major hub for Korean automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., whose large-scale investments in the region have encouraged related auto parts suppliers to follow suit.

“We will continue to work with both domestic and international partners to help resolve investment challenges and support our companies’ global expansion,” a KOTRA official said.

Meanwhile, industry Minister nominee Kim Jung-kwan said on Monday he will put in “utmost” efforts to safeguard “national interests” in South Korea’s tariff negotiations with the United States and support Korean companies’ exports amid global trade uncertainties.

“I want to be at the forefront of South Korea’s exports … and help the country overcome difficult times and turn a crisis into an opportunity,” Kim told reporters as he headed to his office for parliamentary confirmation hearing preparations.

With regard to the anticipated trade negotiations with the U.S. Donald Trump administration, Kim said he will work with Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo to secure a tariff agreement based on “national interests,” noting he understands the difficulties Korean companies face in the global market.

Kim was serving as a president in charge of marketing at Doosan Enerbility Co., a major Korean power equipment builder, before he was tapped as the Lee Jae Myung administration’s first industry minister.

Under his leadership, Doosan Enerbility has strengthened its presence in the global nuclear energy market, contributing to the successful bid for the Dukovany nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic.

On Lee’s campaign pledge to establish a new ministry in charge of climate and energy policies, the nominee said “industry and energy are inseparable.”

–IANS

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