Cobb County officials recently traveled overseas to finalize a “Sister City” agreement with a community in South Korea.

A group of 20 Cobb leaders traveled to Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, in October to explore economic development opportunities between the county and the Korean district. Delegates were a broad representation of Cobb County, including four prominent Korean Americans, elected officials, economic development staff, public school staff, university staff, technical college staff, law enforcement; chamber of commerce staff; Georgia Power officials, a lawyer, architect, newspaper publisher and others.

This trip had been in the works for almost a year, beginning when prominent businessman and community supporter Sunny Park met with Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens. The initial meeting led to others with interested community members and plans were made to officially establish a Sister City relationship with Seongdong-Gu. During the trip on October 23, dignitaries participated in a full day of activities, including meeting the mayor, a signing ceremony, touring the city and visiting the Doosan Company.

The group spent the rest of the week meeting with business interests in the city, including Coca-Cola, Kia, Doosan, Doran Capital Partners and LG, as well as educational institutions such as Han Yang University. The group also met with local elected officials and had a dinner with U.S. military personnel that was hosted by the commander of the Eighth Army.

Seongdong-Gu is one of the 25 “gu,” or districts, which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River and is divided into 20 neighborhoods. The city’s tagline is “Seongdong-Gu: Where dreams become reality.”