FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear and a group of state leaders are heading to Asia next week.
Team Kentucky says it's to help build up the Commonwealth's economy and get more projects started here in the U.S.
Beshear will be heading to Japan and the Republic of Korea to meet with leaders at existing Kentucky companies and meet with businesses considering expanding into the American market.
Officials report that since Beshear took office in 2020, 88 projects from Asia-based companies have created 13,000 new jobs in the state.
There are 540 internationally owned operations in the Commonwealth. They employ more than 117,000 people in Kentucky.
200 are Japanese-owned facilities, while seven are Korean-owned.
The governor released a statement about the trip today, saying, "There is no better place to do business in the United States than right here in Kentucky, and this visit will allow us to share that message directly with business leaders in Japan and Korea."
The Kentucky Delegation will include several members of the executive branch like Transportation Secretary Jim Gray and Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary Jeff Noel.
