Amcham hosts annual Doorknock featuring U.S. lawmakers, agencies

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea held its annual Doorknock program, featuring lawmakers and U.S. agency officials to discuss bilateral ties ahead of the presidential election.

Amcham Chairman James Kim, far right, talks with Ambassador Matthew Murray from the U.S. Senior Official for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation at the U.S. Department of State, center, during his visit to the United States. [AMCHAM]

A business delegation led by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (Amcham) met with high-level U.S. politicians and economic think tanks in Washington to elaborate on ways to boost Korea's alliance with the United States amid emerging uncertainties ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

The delegation to Amcham's Doorknock program held meetings with 14 U.S. representatives and senators, as well as 10 U.S. government agencies including the National Economic Council and the Office of the Vice President during the four-day trip to the United States.

This year, Amcham's annual Doorknock program featured executives of major companies in Korea including LG Energy Solution, Posco, BAE Systems, Corning, Google, Lockheed Martin, Intuitive Surgical and UPS.

Amcham's advocacy efforts on economic and trade issues were demonstrated through in-depth dialogues with Congressman Rick Larsen from Washington, Sen. Todd Young from Indiana and Sen. Chuck Grassley from Iowa.

“Given that our visit took place just a few weeks before the U.S. election and during the second presidential debate, we were able to gauge the current sentiment surrounding the U.S. political landscape firsthand," Amcham Chairman James Kim said. “A clear takeaway from our meetings was the strong consensus that U.S.-Korea relations will remain vital, regardless of the election outcome. South Korea’s growing influence in the Asia Pacific region and beyond is being recognized by key policymakers in the United States.”

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]