Kokomo Mayor Leads Delegation to South Korea
KOKOMO (Dec. 5, 2024) – Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore joined executives from Ivy Tech Community College and The International Center to lead an economic development delegation to South Korea last month. The delegation’s visit, which included key engagements with top executives, underscored the city of Kokomo’s commitment to fostering international partnerships and supporting the emerging EV battery industry in north-central Indiana.
Since 2020, Korea-based firms have committed more than $6.2 billion in foreign direct investment in the greater Kokomo region with Samsung SDI’s joint-venture with Stellantis, StarPlus Energy, slated to build two state-of-the-art EV battery production facilities.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the number of South Korea-based companies that have made the decision to call Kokomo their new home in North America,” said Tyler Moore, Mayor of Kokomo. “It’s vital to meet with the leadership of these firms to stress the importance of their investments and to demonstrate our commitment to building a long and prosperous relationship with our friends from South Korea.”
The delegation first traveled to Yongin to visit Samsung SDI’s international headquarters to learn more about the company’s sustainability-focused innovations, including its groundbreaking work in battery recycling and its PRiMX battery brand. With a focus on workforce development, the delegation then traveled to Cheonan to tour SDI’s production facility and Technical Training Center to learn more about the company’s workforce development programs. The delegation also met with executives of South Korea-based firms SoulBrain, Sangsin EDP, Jaewon Industrial, and Sang-A Frontec, all of which have made significant investments in Kokomo.
Supported by The International Center and its newly formed Korea-Indiana Partnership initiative, the delegation held additional meetings with the Korea Trade Promotion Corporation, Korea International Trade Association, SK Hynix, and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in order to foster stronger business ties between the State of Indiana and the Republic of Korea.
Contact: Colin Renk at crenk@internationalcenter.org or 317.258.4829
