COLUMBIA, S.C. – This week the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA) welcomed its first-ever visit from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea.

The Consulate, based in Atlanta, Georgia, promotes Korean companies’ business environments in the southeast U.S., and supports the activities of future generations of Korean-Americans. It also works with Korean-American communities in partnership with local and state governments in the region, and strives to strengthen its relationships with organizations that support Veterans, and Veteran service organizations.

During the visit the Consulate donated a generous gift of ten thousand KF94 facial masks made in the Republic of Korea. KF represents “Korean Filter” and the “94” indicates the filtering efficacy. The masks are designed to prevent the spread of airborne viruses like COVID-19 and will be distributed to Veterans and facilities that service Veterans in our state.

Members of the local Korean community, military Veterans, and Veteran Service Organizations were in attendance to greet the Korean Consulate, including the American Legion of South Carolina, Team Red, White and Blue, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

Last year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, in which Americans fought on behalf of South Korea. In appreciation of Korean War Veterans, this year the Korean Government manufactured two million face masks to be donated to Veterans in the U.S. Ten thousand of those masks have been donated to all South Carolina Veterans.

Consul General Young-jun Kim spoke on behalf of the Consulate and read a letter from the Korean Prime Minister expressing gratitude to contributions from American military members. You can read the letter by clicking HERE.

In return, on behalf of SCDVA, Governor Henry McMaster and the State of South Carolina, Secretary Will Grimsley presented Consul General Kim with a piece of South Carolina history, a molded replica of the South Carolina State House, created with copper from the State House dome.  

Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Young-jun Kim, has served as a career diplomat for about 30 years. Before coming to Atlanta, he served as Director-General for International Economic Affairs and Ambassador for Arctic Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

Since January 2018, he has served as Korean Consul General in Atlanta, which covers six southeastern states, including South Carolina with 250,000 Korean-Americans and approximately 30-percent of total Korean investment in the U.S. Consul General Kim completed a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Georgia State University in 1995.