(c) World-OKTA

The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA, Chairman Park Jong-beom) held the ‘World-OKTA Global Startup Summit’ on the 1st at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce in Duluth, Georgia, USA.

This summit was organized as a major program of the ‘Atlanta Small-scale Chapter Activation Meeting,’ which ran from September 1 to 2, aimed at expanding exchanges among chapters in the Americas and exploring cooperation measures for the global market entry of next-generation businesspeople and startups.

On the morning of the first day of the event, a presentation ceremony was held at the Georgia State Capitol to commemorate the passage of a Georgia House resolution recognizing September 2026 as ‘World OKTA Global Startup Month.’

The presentation ceremony was attended by Chairman Park Jong-beom, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Georgia State Representatives Matt Reeves and Michelle Au (Hong Soo-jung), Lee Jun-ho, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta, and Sun Park, President of the World-OKTA Atlanta Chapter, among others.

This resolution was co-sponsored by five Georgia state representatives, including Matt Reeves and Michelle Au, and was adopted by the Georgia House of Representatives on June 22. The resolution evaluates World-OKTA’s activities in contributing to global trade, entrepreneurship, economic cooperation, and the expansion of international business networks, and honors the economic and social contributions of Korean businesses and startup stakeholders.

The Global Startup Summit, held in the afternoon of the same day, was attended by Chairman Park Jong-beom, Chapter President Sun Park, Conference Chair Oh Yu-je, venture capital stakeholders, tech company representatives, academic experts, World-OKTA members, and next-generation businesspeople.

At the summit, Sun Park, Chairman of the World-OKTA Global Startup Committee, along with venture capital officials from Silicon Valley and Atlanta, tech company representatives, and academic experts, served as speakers. Attendees exchanged views on topics including global startup incubation strategies in the era of artificial intelligence, the role of venture capital and funding, market entry strategies according to geopolitical environmental changes, intelligent bio-electronic devices and wearable medical technologies, and AI platforms utilizing corporate data.

In the subsequent panel discussion, topics discussed included investment, technology commercialization, finding local partners, and utilizing global networks necessary for startups entering the global market. Experiences and cases for expanding cooperation among startups, investors, tech experts, and next-generation businesspeople were also shared.

Chairman Park Jong-beom stated, "This resolution is of profound significance to Korean businesspeople and entrepreneurs who have contributed to the economy and community development of Georgia, and it is a symbol showing the long-standing trust and economic cooperation relationship between South Korea and Georgia. For good technologies and ideas to lead to corporate growth, capital and markets, and experience and networks must come together. Based on the Korean economic network of 157 chapters in 76 countries, World-OKTA will support the global market entry of promising startups and next-generation businesspeople, and connect new investments and cooperation."