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South Korean mayor visits Williamson County
Williamson County officials celebrated a new partnership as the mayor of their sister city in South Korea paid a visit to Central Texas Thursday.
TAYLOR, Texas - Williamson County officials celebrated a new partnership as the mayor of their sister city in South Korea paid a visit to Central Texas Thursday.
At the Taylor Expo Center, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell welcomed South Korea's Yongin City Mayor, Sang Il Lee, to finalize the sister city agreement.
"Today is your day in Williamson County, Texas," said Gravell.
Although the two places are an ocean apart, they share a major Samsung semiconductor manufacturing site.
South Korea is even dubbing Yongin as the next hub of semiconductor chips in its country.
"What they're building in Yongin City in the semiconductor industry is unprecedented in the world," said Gravell. "They're looking at $460 billion of expansion. They've got partnerships with Samsung and dozens of other companies. They're on a much larger scale than we are."
Samsung's plant in Taylor is a $17 billion project.
"We have a lot we can learn from them in Yongin city," said Gravell. "They're successful, they're powerful in a world economy and their relationships are strong."
The county hopes it will be an opportunity to exchange business, including students and teachers, with Texas State University in Round Rock.
"We're no longer just business partners," said Dwayne Ariola, the mayor of Taylor. "We're family. We're going to help you grow and learn about American culture and you'll help us grow and learn about semiconductors, learn about life sciences, whatever the industries are."
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Samsung expanding in Central Texas
A $6.4 billion federal grant will give Samsung the opportunity to continue to grow in Taylor and Austin.
In Korean, Lee told FOX 7 Austin he’s looking forward to building a relationship with Williamson County. To honor that, Williamson County and Yongin exchanged gifts.
Fittingly, Gravell gave Lee a cowboy statue.
Lee gave the county a wood vase from South Korea and gave a plaque with the Ariola carved into it to the city of Taylor.
As for the hospitality here, Lee told FOX 7 Austin in Korean that it's humbling.
He got a Texas-sized welcome with local bourbon and a shopping trip to buy his first pair of cowboy boots, something he says he's only seen in the movies.
County commissioners signed a proclamation on Tuesday making January 9 "Yongin City Day" in Williamson County.
After the ceremony, Lee learned to rope and ate dinner at the Kalahari Resorts.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel