Governor, state officials traveling to Japan, Korea next week on economic development mission

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will travel next week to Japan and Korea on what his office describes as “an economic development trip to bring new jobs to the state.”

Also on the trip will be First Lady Britainy Beshear, Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary Jeff Noel, Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray and other members of the executive branch. They will be meeting with “companies and trade organizations to determine future investment and job-creation opportunities in the state,” according to a news release from the governor’s office.

The news release says Kentucky has nearly 540 internationally owned operations that employ more than 117,000 people statewide; Kentucky is home to 200 Japanese-owned facilities that employ 47,000 people and seven Korean-owned facilities that employ 1,200 people.

Beshear and Gray will also meet with the National Police Agency of the Republic of Korea to sign a Driver’s License Reciprocity Agreement, allowing employees relocating to the United States for an extended period to have effective transportation to jobs.

“There is no better place to do business in the United States than right here in Kentucky, and this visit will allow us to share that message directly with business leaders in Japan and Korea,” says Beshear in the release. “We look forward to meeting with existing employers and developing new relationships that will bring good jobs to the commonwealth.”

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