By John Redmond
Leaders of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) concluded their recent AMCHAM Doorknock meetings in Washington, D.C., May 15 to 18.
During the visit, the delegation met with key officials of the Trump administration, Congress and policy think tanks to discuss issues critical to the Korea-U.S. relationship.
The objective of this year’s Doorknock was to obtain a better understanding of the Trump administration’s direction in respect to trade with Korea and ensure the administration and Congress recognize the depth of the bilateral economic relationship and importance of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).
For the first time this year, Hyundai Motor, a Korean member company of AMCHAM, joined the delegation to highlight for U.S. leaders its contributions to the U.S. economy.
AMCHAM Chairman James Kim stated, “Among the four visits to Washington, D.C., during my chairmanship, I think this year is the most critical and dynamic Doorknock.”
“Overall, this was another great success and we hope to go back to Korea and meet with President Moon before his trip to Washington to share what has been discussed during Doorknock.”
This year’s delegation consists of Chairman Kim, president and CEO of GM Korea; Jeffrey Jones, chairman of Partners for the Future Foundation and attorney at Kim & Chang; David Ruch, former AMCHAM chairman and United Airlines’ country manager for Korea; and Iain Jamieson, governor of AMCHAM and country manager of VISA International (Asia-Pacific) Korea.
Since 1985, an AMCHAM Korea delegation has visited Washington, D.C. every year, and on some occasions New York and other cities, to meet with senior officials and policymakers to inform and discuss issues affecting U.S. companies doing business in Korea.
These visits, also known as “Doorknock,” are designed to draw key officials and policymakers’ attention to the economic relationship between the United States and Korea and highlight issues in bilateral trade and investment.
AMCHAM Korea, founded in 1953, has a broad mandate to encourage the development of investment and trade between Korea and the United States. It is the largest foreign chamber in Korea with around 800 member companies that have diverse interests and substantial participation in the Korean economy.
Visit amchamkorea.org for more information.