US, South Korea Ambassadors visit Taylor to talk semiconductor industry

TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — Taylor High School welcomed two diplomats to its campus on Wednesday.

South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Hyundong Cho and US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg both stopped by to talk about the semiconductor industry and the relationship between the country and the Lone Star State.

“Texas has become one of the major trading partners and also Texas has become a top destination for Koreas investment,” said Ambassador Cho.

Taylor is home to Samsung and the company has not only brought jobs to the state, but it has formed a relationship with Taylor Independent School District.

“I think it is important to see the town where we are growing and developing and we are going to be on the cusp of being the semiconductor hub of the world,” said Taylor ISD Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen.

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said focusing on the future is key to growing the industry in Central Texas.

“There are a lot of Korean based businesses here in Williamson County,” Gravell said. “You may be surprised to know this, but there are a dozen corporations now that call Williamson County home.”

Taylor ISD has partnered with Samsung, where many students pick up internships in the summer.

“We talked to them about what was important and what we value and I said the thing that we value the most is that next generation,” Gravell said. “The future of America.”

Last September, Samsung announced a $37 million commitment to the University of Texas in order to bolster a semiconductor ecosystem in Central Texas.

The partnership includes funds for recruiting and supporting students to study semiconductor manufacturing in the Cockrell School of Engineering and other majors across the university.

“These are the kinds of industries we need young people to concentrate in,” Goldberg said.

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