The Peninsula

Future of Korea: Building Connections in the Heart of Michigan

The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) led a delegation to visit Grand Rapids, Michigan, from September 30 to October 2, hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. The trip was the fifth and final Future of Korea (FOK) program KEI held this year to foster greater public understanding and appreciation of South Korea across U.S. cities.

Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in the state of Michigan. The state’s exports to South Korea were valued at USD 956 million in 2024, with key exports including chemicals, processed foods, computer and electronic products, transportation equipment, and nonmetallic mineral products. In recent years, Grand Rapids has also become a hub of medical services, with an increasing number of hospitals being built around the city. More than twenty colleges and universities drive a robust education sector, making it an important location for academic outreach and public engagement.

The delegation participants included KEI’s Director of Academic Affairs Ellen Kim, the South Korean Embassy’s Economic Section Counselor Hong Seungtae, and former U.S. Department of State’s Economic Officer Lydia Roll. Erica Kubik, director of programming at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, and Michael Van Denend, executive director at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, were excellent organizers and partners who made the delegation’s time in Grand Rapids a memorable experience.

 

The two-day program began with a visit to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, allowing the delegation to learn in-depth about President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, as well as his strong support for the U.S.-South Korea alliance during the Cold War. Additionally, the delegation’s visit coincided with ArtPrize week, an international art competition held annually in Grand Rapids that celebrates artwork displayed throughout the city and highlights the city’s cultural richness.

In the late afternoon, the delegation met with business and community leaders for a cocktail reception at a beautiful building owned by Bing Goei, founder of the Goei Center and CEO of Eastern Floral. This reception event began with opening remarks from Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand and City Manager Mark Washington and was attended by board members of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, business leaders, representatives from Korean Connection, and students interested in Korea. The delegation members answered questions from the audience, such as South Korea’s demographic challenges and education issues.

The next day, the delegation visited Ferris State University and met with students and faculty members, including Korean exchange students from Dankook University, a sister school of Ferris. Kasey Lynn Thomson, the interim dean of extended and international organizations, Robert Fleischman, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Tara Braun, executive director of the office of international education, welcomed the delegation, and the delegation members engaged in individual conversations with students and faculty members to discuss opportunities for enhancing academic exchanges between the United States and South Korea. This meet and greet was followed by a campus tour, which covered the student center, an esports classroom, and the University Eye Center.

In the afternoon, the delegation had a coffee chat with Colin Seals, director of external affairs and government relations at LG Energy Solution Michigan, to discuss LG’s business operations in Grand Rapids and the role of South Korean investments in the city.

The FOK program concluded with a public event at Calvin University. Department Chair and Professor Joel Westra moderated a broad discussion that included U.S.-South Korea security cooperation in the evolving regional security landscape, recent debates on U.S.-South Korea alliance modernization, ongoing tariff negotiations, and the role of South Korean investment in the United States. The audience also showed strong interest in issues such as North Korea’s growing regional threat, the recent raid at the Hyundai plant in Georgia, and domestic politics in South Korea.

The two-day program in Grand Rapids was an incredible experience for all those involved and greatly broadened the participants’ perspectives on Western Michigan. What stood out most was the power of people-to-people exchanges. Although the United States and South Korea have maintained a strong security alliance for over seventy years, this program highlighted that the true foundation of that alliance has been the connection between the American and Korean peoples. With so much interest in Korea within the United States, there is great potential for South Korea’s public diplomacy to deepen these people-to-people ties.

 

Ellen Kim is Director of Academic Affairs at KEI.

Feature and in-line images from KEI.

KEI is registered under the FARA as an agent of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, a public corporation established by the government of the Republic of Korea. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.