Good afternoon! Consul General Cho, President of the Chamber, incoming president Mr. Frank McCloskey, Dr. Josephine Tan, Ms. Soohee Paik, and members and guests of this meaningful event, I want to thank you all to invite me to speak at such distinguished Chamber. I am honored!

How ’bout them Red Devils and the Korean soccer team?
I assume you all recovered from many sleepless nights to watch the World Cup games in very early mornings. Aren’t they great?

I had a great time just like all of you. I am sure each of us was impressed with the results of the Korean players and experience from it. I never was proud of my self as a man with Korean descent as this time. The most remarkable thing I learned was to watch the young Korean players activating the potential ability. Just like the soccer players, we have the power to build anything we wish, build personal wealth, and build healthy and respectful community. One simple question we ought to ask our selves should be how good we are in activating the given potential ability. I made up my mind to take advantage of the victory of the Korean soccer team for victory of my self. Just for that reasons, I am so thankful to the soccer team and the players! Let’s give them big hands one more time! Congratulations!

I was in Killeen, Texas to attend the retiring ceremony of General Thomas Schwartz, CINC, United States Armed Forces Korea and the United Nations Command and a few more hats. He asked me to tell all of you HELLO and thank you all for the supports and efforts you all delivered for the betterments of the two countries, Korea and the U. S. He is a great friend of Korean people and the United States Army.
Tom and Sandy built a nice home out side San Antonio and want to see you someday soon. He broke off as he and all of us hearing General McArthur’s phrase, soldiers never die but fade away. I am sure you will hear about his new leadership role for the country and the community soon.

Speaking about central Texas, the place was hot and muggy already, there are not many trees and swamps like we southeastern states have, there are not many infrastructures like we southeastern states have. I was so thankful to Georgia and the southeastern state governments for their hard work to create such a good environments for quality of life and for good businesses. It is hard to realized how good to have what I have until we compare with others, I didn’t think I was such a good looking man until I went to Texas early this week?

Honestly, the Southeast should be the Korea’s trading hub for US. Any manufacturers would love the quality labor forces the SE states offers, most SE states are “right-to-work” states and are the best situation for both laborers and the foreign businesses. Most SE states putted extra efforts to attract the Korean businesses and they actually sponsored more manufacturers than other region states.

You all will be more proud if you visit each SE states trade and industrial departments Web sites. They introduce assistances and helps in all different aspects including statistics, local governments, infrastructures, marketing assistances, assistance in child education and family life, financing and more.
I don’t think Korean businesses will ever find better business and family place than Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and the Carolinas in the United States.

Top of what the SE states offers, US government will do everything possible for the Korean businesses to come to the SE and do good businesses. President Bush urged us in last month’s White House meeting to bringing more businesses in to US and he will do everything he can to assist the state governments to attract the Korean businesses. I would suggest all of Korean American business community members to involve and help the Korean investors to US be comfortable as their home to settle in the SE.

Talking about involvement, I am proud of you all, the Korea-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Kotra Club members. You are the activators to make the both Korea and the SE US economy stronger. Since 1991, you have made the differences in our economies in the Southeast and you should all be very proud of your accomplishments. Your Chamber’s successful achievement was possible with the leading role of the Korean Council General’s office and the Korea Trade center. I want to commend the leadership of the Chamber of today and the years in the past, let’s give them a round of applause.

I have more good news to those who doing business with Korea. The quality of product is increased dramatically in last decade or so. I heard from American business people dealing with Korea the major obstacle to deal with Korean business people is to build a trustful and a long term relationship but It improved dramatically since the World Cup soccer games, the business leaders mindsets are changing.

Korean business leaders studying the WC soccer success story, they quickly witnessed the new management style of the Korean national soccer team coach Guus Hidink from Holland. They openly admits that one of the reasons they failed to advanced to the Round four in the World Cup soccer tournaments before with the same players was the inability to avoid the personal conflicts in the team building. Korea is hot with the new lesson they just learned thru the WC experiences, it is beyond the enjoyment of the winnings of the soccer games but they are eager to change and they will. They are adopting the lesson to business world and American investors will be the beneficiaries. Isn’t that a good news?

Distinguish Chamber members and the guests, how many times during last fifty years you were thought Korea will be collapsed by either corruption, communist attack or economical turmoil? As you all know, Korea is the country built the miraculous economy, increased the GNP to $10,000 from $86.00 in just 30 years. This is the people kept the country going from ash of the Korean war, not to mention hundreds wars and invades from neighboring countries like China, Mongol and Japan. They are the people in a tiny size peninsula but created the super economy in where the North Korean howitzer’s firing range. They made among the top ten trading partners to US. and the sixth largest buyer of American products. Indeed, they are diligent people, intelligent people and winners of all time. They never fall; they always bounce back and grow from disastrous situation, many times.

Now, wouldn’t you rather do business with people who has wisdom and the power of survival? Besides, Korean people are the most friendly people to Americans in the world, I believe. What are you all think?

The Chamber has much important responsibility to accommodate the both sides as you can read from your mission statement and I am very positive about the new leadership of the Chamber as Mr. Frank McCloskey and his team leads the Chamber. I know Frank, he is my respectful class mate in the Diversity Leadership Academy and the Chamber has the best leader you can want. However, he is only one person and won’t be possible to do anything without your participation and activation of your potential ability. The young Korean soccer team made the remarkable victory to Korea by activating their potential ability. I think we all should copy the method and use it.

In closing, I want to congratulate Frank and his team for the new responsibility and thank as always to Georgia Power for the long term commitment to Korea and the Asian American community.

I pray God’s bless all of you, the Chamber, the fire fighters in the Rockies and Arizana and God bless America!