Events


Jan. 25, 2012
New Leadership at KACCH

Victor Song was elected new President of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Houston (KACCH).  Mr. Song served as vice president of KACCH from 2008 - 2011.  


Nov. 2-4, 2011
10th Annual World Korean Business Convention

More than 3,500 people are expected to participate in this year's World Korean Business Convention, which will take place in Busan, Korea.  To register, click here. 


July 27, 2011
Grassroots Lobby Day for US-Korea FTA

Korean-American business leaders from all over the country gathered at the Capitol to urge Congress to pass the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement (FTA) without further delay. The US-Korea FTA is America’s most commercially significant trade accord in 15 years. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that the FTA will increase U.S. exports to Korea by $11 billion and reduce the U.S. deficit by $4 billion. The Commerce Department estimates that the implementation of the FTA will create 70,000 new jobs in the United States. On the other hand, failure to implement the FTA will lead to a loss of market share to competitors such as the EU and Canada, and a loss of over 345,000 U.S. jobs. Korea is a vibrant democracy, a staunch ally of the United States, and a major commercial center in East Asia – providing America with a strong partner in an increasingly strategic region of the world.  (Click here for Korean news coverage)


July 14, 2011
Houston Rally for US-Korea FTA

From Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, Boston to Houston, and Hawaii to Atlanta, there have been a great series of rallies in support of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement over the past several weeks. In Houston, community leaders gathered at the residence of Hon. Yun-soo Cho, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea. to discuss and promote the agreement. This is what the Korea-U.S. Partnership is made of -- real people who want to see the REAL benefits of the U.S.-Korea trade in their communities. The pending U.S. trade agreement with South Korea will create and support 70,000 U.S. jobs,increase U.S. exports to South Korea by $11 billion, raise U.S. gross domestic product by up to $12 billion, and strengthen the long-standing U.S.-South Korea partnership. Learn more about how this pact will benefit your local economy at www.uskoreapartnership.org.



April 26, 2011
Air Service Development in Asia: Direct Flight Efforts
Genaro Peña of the Houston Airport System was the guest speaker at a luncheon held at the Korean Community Center. He made a presentation on City of Houston's efforts to establish a direct passenger flight between Houston and Asia. With one of the largest federal inspection services facilities in the United States, the airport can process up to 4,500 international passengers per hour. Houston currently offers access to nearly 70 international and approximately 110 domestic destinations, providing strong worldwide connection capability. List of destinations served by the Houston Airpors (PDF) 

Nov. 30, 2010
Korean American Lecture Series seminar: “Political Grassroot Movement in the Korean American Community” 한인동포사회 정치풀뿌리운동 설명회

Mr. Dongsuk Kim, founder & former president of the Korean American Voters’ Council, was the guest speaker at a dinner held at Sheraton Brookhollow. Mr. Kim led the organization to many great accomplishments; increasing Korean voter turnouts from less than 5% in 1996 to over 65% in 2008, helping over 23,000 Korean voters to register; instituting the passage of “Comfort Women Resolution” (H.Res. 121 of 110th Congress, 2007), US Visa Waiver Program for the Republic of Korea (2008), and the translation of the NJ Korean voter registration form (2008) into Korean. Click here to read more.



 
Nov. 8, 2010
Korea Health Industry Development Institute Signs MOU with Houston

State Senator Rodney Ellis and Mayor pro-tem Ed Gonzalez welcomed Dr. Kim Bup-wan, president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), and signed an MOU to strengthen ties and enhance collaborative initiatives. Dr. Kim also met with Dr. John Mendelsohn, president of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. Paul Klotman, president of Baylor College of Medicine, and discussed possibilities of future joint research. As the largest medical center in the world, Texas Medical Center boasts 93,500 employees and 6 million annual patient visits. On Nov. 7, Dr. Kim was the honored speaker at the Korean American Medical Association (KAMA) of Texas gala held at Rice University.  KAMA USA has 17,000 members, and Dr. Chisi Choi serves as Chair of the Texas Chapter.  

 
Oct. 20-23, 2010    
Business Mission to S. Korea - Incheon and Seoul

We are pleased to report about a successful business development mission to South Korea. This was the City of Houston's first official delegation to Korea with high-ranking elected officials. Delegation leaders State Senator Rodney Ellis and Mayor pro-tem Ed Gonzalez did an excellent job in promoting Houston as the energy capital of the world and a great city for international business. The trade mission was co-sponsored by the Korean American Chamber of Commerce, Office of the Mayor and Greater Houston Partnership.

Accomplishments: 
  • Bilateral partnership city agreement: Houston's Vice Mayor pro-tem Gonzalez and Incheon Mayor Young-gil Song signed an agreement between the two cities, committing to develop stronger ties with each other. 
  • Business Forum: An investment forum was hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership and the Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry. We showcased Houston as a great city for international business and introduced GHP's international economic development services and tools. The forum was followed by a networking reception. 
  • Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI): We met with the Ministry of Health and KHIDI and discussed collaboration opportunities. In November, KHIDI's president traveled to Houston and met with top executives of Texas Medical Center hospitals. On Nov. 10, KHIDI and the City of Houston signed an MOU. 
  • Asiana Airlines meeting: We met with Asiana's Executive Vice President for Commercial-Passenger and his team. We made a strong case as to why they should seriously consider Houston as Asiana’s direct passenger flight destination and that Houston is a preferred global gateway into Central and South American countries.
 
Sept. 24, 2010
TV/DVD Donation to HPD Spring Branch Storefront

The Korean American Chamber of Commerce and the Korean American Association donated a DVD and a 42" television, respectively, to the HPD Spring Branch storefront located at Long Point and Pech. This large TV will replace the current 13" TV being used for showing training videos. The Korean community leaders had a tour of the storefront. Those who attended from HPD included Assistant Chief John Chen, Assistant Chief Don McKinney, Captain Richard Bownds and Sgt. Hank Hernandez. 



      


Aug. 4, 2010
Korean National Assemblyman Kim Sunggon visits Houston to promote Yeosu EXPO

City Council Member Brenda Stardig welcomed Korean National Assemblyman Kim Sunggon to City Hall, on behalf of Mayor Parker who was traveling to China. Hon. Kim represents Yeosu, which will host the World EXPO 2012.

The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 317 islands (49 inhabited, 268 uninhabited). Lying about midway along the southern coast of South Korea.  Due to its appeal as an international ocean resort and tourist city, Yeosu has seen much development during the past several decades. In the 142nd General Assembly of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) held in Paris on November 26, 2007, the global community selected Yeosu as the host city for the 2012 World Expo. 


Aug. 3, 2010
Meet Your Police Officers: Town Hall Meeting 

The Korean American Chamber of Commerce hosted a townhall meeting with the Houston Police Department to discuss crime prevention in Spring Branch, where there are many Korean-owned businesses. Those joining us included City Council Member Brenda Stardig (District A), HPD Exec. Assistant Chief Kirk Munden, Assistant Chief John Chen, Assistant Chief Don McKinney and Spring Branch area Captain and officers. The meeting ended with a mutual understanding: The community and the police department can do more by working together.




June 30, 2010
Seminar for Business Owners and Building Managers

The Korean-American Chamber hosted a seminar featuring Lisa Fleming Brown with the City of Houston Building Inspection group. She covered the following topics: new codes and rules; top 10 things to know about permitting; and overview of Public Works dept. code enforcement division. Click here for Power Point presentation.

The event was attended by more than 70 people - building owners, property managers, real estate agents, and contractors.  At the end of the meeting, some people expressed an interest in creating a Korean American Building Owners and Managers Association (K-BOMA). 


May 21 - 23, 2010
Korean American Chamber of Commerce USA Annual Meeting

Korean American Chamber of Commerce leaders from all over the country gathered at Wilshire Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles for an annual meeting. In addition to a board meeting, there were several events including an economic forum and photo exhibition. It was a great opportunity to network with other cities’ business leaders. The presidents of large cities including Houston were appointed vice presidents of KACC-USA.




April 30, 2010
Outstanding Business of the Year Awards Banquet

Congratulations to the award recipients! 
 
#1   
 #2   
 #3   
Photo #1: Houston City Councilwoman Stardig chats with David Shin, Casey Youn, Ph.D., Jai Sung Byun;
Photo #2: Casey Youn, Ph.D., David Yun, Randy Sim, Steve Cho, Gigi Lee, State Rep. Dwayne Bohac;
Photo #3: More than 200 people gathered at Sheraton Brookhollow Hotel


March 8, 2010
Texas Senator John Whitmire visits Korea Town

State Senator John Whitmire met with Korean community leaders and discussed  issues important to the Korean community and Spring Branch. Prior to the meeting at Seoul Garden, he toured the Korean Community Center. 

Senator Whitmire represents the 15th Senatorial District composed of north Houston and north Harris County. He was first elected to the Texas Senate in 1982 after serving 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives. He ranks first in seniority and serves as the "Dean of the Texas Senate." Senator Whitmire is the Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee and serves as a member of the following four Senate committees: Business & Commerce, Finance, Government Organization, and Administration. He is also a member of the State Energy Council, Criminal Justice Legislative Oversight Committee, and Joint Committee on the Operation and Management of the Texas Youth Commission.

Feb. 26, 2010
Meeting with City Council Member Al Hoang

The Korean American Chamber of Commerce hosted a lunch meeting at Cafe Ginger with City Councilman Al Hoang, the first Vietnamese American on Houston City Council. 

Council Member Hoang represents District F, which encompasses a large part of southwest Houston, including Alief, Braeburn, Fondren Southwest, Gulfton, Sharpstown, and Westwood communities. Born in South Vietnam, Mr. Hoang and his family fled to the U.S. after the Fall of Saigon to communism in 1975. Soon after, they moved to Houston and made it their permanent home. Mr. Hoang graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Philosophy Degree in 1989, and went on to attain his Juris Doctorate Degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Today, he has a successful law practice which specializes in criminal defense.