Benchmarking New Jersey AI Hub and supporting SMEs in expanding into overseas markets 

Chungnam Province is strengthening its global reach by securing large-scale investment agreements with global corporations, building international cooperative networks with artificial intelligence (AI) innovation institutions, and supporting local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in entering overseas markets.

The province announced that Governor Park Soo-hyun departed for a 5-day, 3-night business trip to the United States on October 25.

According to the itinerary, Governor Park arrived in the US on the 25th and will visit the New Jersey AI Hub, located at Princeton University, on the following day (local time, October 26).

Launched in March of last year, the New Jersey AI Hub is an integrated platform for AI research, startups, industry, and talent development, with major partners including Princeton University, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), Microsoft, and CoreWeave. Governor Park will tour the key facilities and meet with officials to learn about the hub's operational status and support systems for related industries and enterprises, exploring cooperative measures for Chungnam’s initiative to build an "AI Basic Society."

Following the AI Hub visit, Governor Park will visit the United Nations Headquarters and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN. He will meet with UNDP Associate Administrator Haoliang Xu and Ambassador Cha Ji-hoon, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN, to discuss global political and economic trends, AI-related policies, and explore ways to link with UN-led AI initiatives.

On the third day of his trip (October 27), Governor Park will visit the Korean American Association of New York to hold a meeting with its executives. They will discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between the Korean-American community in the US and Chungnam, exploring collaborative possibilities in economics, culture, and other fields utilizing overseas Korean networks.

Later, he will move to the New York Hilton Midtown hotel to sign large-scale investment agreements with three global companies. This agreement marks the second foreign investment agreement of the 9th popular election term, following the one with Germany's Webasto last August, and is expected to significantly contribute to strengthening the province's industrial competitiveness and job creation.

After concluding the investment agreements, Governor Park will visit the Chungnam Overseas Market Pioneer Export Consultation venue at the same location, organized by the province and the Chungnam Economic Promotion Agency. He will encourage local business representatives and introduce the excellence of Chungnam's "K-products" to buyers. Twenty local SMEs producing cosmetics and food products are participating in this consultation to conduct one-on-one meetings with local buyers.

As the final schedule of his US trip, Governor Park will attend the "Chungnam Tong(通)haeng - Night of Chungcheong Compatriots in America" event at Demoss Manor in New York. Expanding the "Chungnam Tonghaeng"—a communication initiative where the governor directly listens to residents across cities and counties—to the United States, the event aims to hear the voices of overseas Chungcheong natives and gather momentum for the province's development.

The event is expected to draw about 250 participants, including Chungcheong diaspora members and business figures in the Americas. Governor Park plans to share the growing image of their hometown and discuss ways to expand mutual exchanges and cooperation.

A provincial official stated, "Through this US trip, Governor Park will lay the future foundation for Chungnam's economy through global investment attraction and export expansion, while broadening the cooperative framework with AI innovation ecosystems to serve as a stepping stone toward realizing the goal of making Chungnam 'South Korea’s AI Capital.'"

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