A senior South Korean official in Utah this week does not expect any major changes in the long-standing relationship between his country and the United States, regardless of who ends up in the White House after the November election.

Lim Jung-taek, South Korea's consul general in San Francisco, said in an interview with Deseret News that it was “kind of taboo” to focus too much on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Both countries are interdependent in a mutually beneficial relationship that will not change no matter who is elected, he said.

“I am not worried about the future of bilateral relations,” Lim said, pointing out that they date back more than 70 years to the Korean War.

As consul general, Lim's role is less political and more about promoting trade and cultural relations, which is what brought him to Utah. He works to protect the rights of Koreans in the U.S. and promote his country's economy and culture. His area of ​​responsibility includes Northern California, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, where more than 280,000 Koreans work in a variety of fields, including high-tech, law, medicine and the arts. About half of them are U.S. citizens.

On Wednesday, Lim presented Ambassador of Peace medals to families of Korean War veterans at Memory Grove in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, he attended a luncheon with Utah businesses hosted by World Trade Center Utah and met with Gov. Spencer Cox, who is leading a trade mission to South Korea and Japan in September.

Utah-Korea relations

“Korea has long-standing trade and cultural ties with Utah. In fact, Korea is Utah's ninth-largest export market and we share many common target industries, including life sciences, advanced manufacturing, technology, aerospace and financial services,” said Jennifer Napier-Pearce, spokeswoman for the governor.

Cox's meeting with Lim focused on preparing for the trip, Utah-Korea relations and future areas of cooperation, she said.

Lim, who was appointed consul general in January, said he wants to take trade relations between Utah and South Korea to a “new level.”

Jonathan Freedman, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah, said there is “a lot of synergy, a lot of excitement” between Utah and Korea as the state strengthens its trade corridor with the East Asian country. In partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, World Trade Center Utah is opening an office this month on the campus of the University of Utah Asia in Incheon, South Korea.

“Our intention is to help Utah companies expand internationally in this market … but also to work with the governor's office to encourage more direct investment from South Korea and Japan to Utah,” he said.

Delta Air Lines is also exploring the possibility of establishing a nonstop flight between Salt Lake City and Seoul, Freedman said.

South Korea has the world's 13th largest economy. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, a nonprofit organization that helps U.S. companies do business with Korean companies, has been in existence since 1962. Additionally, about 37% of Korean startups operating overseas are in North America, with about half of them in Silicon Valley.

Trade and tensions in East Asia

The United States has recently become the most important destination for Korean investments as companies have turned away from China, Lim said, adding that he expects the volume to increase in the coming years.

Foreign direct investment, or FDI, by South Korean companies in China fell 78.1% year-on-year to $1.87 billion in 2023, according to data seen by Bloomberg released by the Ministry of Finance in March. China fell out of the top five destinations for South Korean FDI, with the decline mainly seen in the manufacturing sector, the ministry said.

The U.S. is also on the verge of overtaking China as the largest buyer of South Korean exports, which include everything from semiconductors to automobiles.

“In the past, Korean companies invested heavily in the Chinese market. But due to the changing international situation, Korean companies are moving their factories to other countries. The United States is one of the destinations that Korean companies are aiming for,” Lim said.

Lim said it is difficult for Korea to deal with the growing tensions between the US and China, but added that Koreans have an opportunity to benefit from the rivalry between the two powers.

“Koreans juggle every day,” he said.

Lim described relations between North and South Korea as “not good. I'm worried it's getting worse.” North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery shells that it used to attack Ukraine, and its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles is “quite worrying,” he said.

The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement, not a peace agreement, so the two governments on the peninsula were officially still at war. According to Lim, there are about 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

“The US presence is very important to ensure South Korea's stability,” Lim said. “In this sense, the alliance between Korea and the United States is very important. … If we maintain this strong relationship, North Korea cannot attack South Korea. This is, so to speak, the foundation of South Korea's security.”

Honoring Korean War veterans

On Wednesday, Lim presented the Ambassador of Freedom Medal to the families of seven Utah men who fought in the war at the Korean War Memorial in Memory Grove.

“Some 74 years ago, young soldiers from diverse backgrounds courageously answered the call to support Korea's democracy and freedom against communist aggression,” he said. “Their courage and sacrifice laid the foundation for Korea to emerge from the devastation of war and become a beacon of democracy and economic prosperity.”

The Korean government created the award several years ago to thank U.S. soldiers who served in the war. Robert Mansfield, honorary consul for South Korea in Utah, said hundreds of Utahns have received the medal so far and he hopes every veteran in the state will be able to do the same.

Edward Holland, who died in 2014 at age 79, was one of 21,500 Utahns who fought in the Korean War. His son, Bill Holland, accepted the medal on his behalf. Edward Holland joined the Navy at 17 and served on the USS Cunningham, a destroyer that fought off the coast of Korea.

“It's nice to see that they still remember all the sacrifices the guys made,” said Bill Holland. “He always credited the Navy with saving his life. They helped him keep his head on straight. He was always very proud of his service.”