MOU Signing with the University of Michigan

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim has embarked on his first overseas since taking office. The two-fold purpose of this mission is ...

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim has embarked on his first overseas since taking office. The two-fold purpose of this mission is the attraction of foreign investment from six American and Japanese companies and the provision of more opportunities to Gyeonggi Province youths. Let's take a look at what Governor Kim accomplished during his first overseas mission.

Agreement signed with University of Michigan for Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program
On the afternoon of April 10, the first day of his mission in the United States, Governor Kim visited the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, located in the State of Michigan. There the governor initiated the launch the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program in partnership with the University of Michigan so as to provide overseas training opportunities to Gyeonggi youths. As a result, from 2023 until 2025, over 30 Gyeonggi youths will be able participate in training at the University of Michigan each year.

The Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program is designed to provide Gyeonggi youths with opportunities to realize their dreams through overseas university training and cultural experiences, enabling them to explore diverse career options and fostering their willingness to take on new challenges. Gyeonggi youths who participate in the program will receive four weeks of classes that include language training, cultural experiences, company visits, and team projects organized by the University of Michigan.

Governor Kim said, "We have designed this program to provide more opportunities to young people, opening their eyes to a new world and new challenges. We expect the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program to help students develop a vision for the future and a broader perspective on the world."

During his visit to the University of Michigan, Governor Kim enjoyed a simple luncheon meeting with 10 college and graduate students studying abroad in Michigan before signing the agreement on the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program.

Governor Kim (an alumnus of the University of Michigan) and the students discussed various topics, including the difficulties of studying abroad and how they applied their experiences to their careers. Governor Kim expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "Looking back, it was difficult, but studying in Michigan was a turning point in my life. Before, I only studied for the sake of passing exams, but here I discovered the joy of learning. It is important to find value and wisdom in what you are doing."

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, holds a special place in Governor Kim's heart, as it is where he completed his graduate studies in Public Policy. During his tenure as president of Ajou University in 2015, he initiated the "After You (Overseas Training) Program " between Ajou University and the University of Michigan. In 2019, he delivered a lecture there under the title of "Pleasant Uprising."

Visit to autonomous driving and secondary battery facilities in Michigan
Also during his first official mission to the United States, Governor Kim visited various autonomous driving and secondary battery-related facilities in Michigan, which is deemed the capital of the American automotive industry, examining the status of state-of-the-art technology development and exploring plans for possible cooperation with Gyeonggi Province.

On the morning of the April 10, Governor Kim visited MCity, located at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Encompassing an area of 130,000 square meters, MCity was the world's first model driving facility to reproduce the road conditions of a typical city, thereby enabling the testing of autonomous driving technologies. Numerous driving safety experiments can be conducted here in various scenarios, such as those involving railway overpasses, roundabouts, gravel roads, construction sites, sidewalks, and parking lots.

Governor Kim, accompanied by Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Vice Chair Nam Kyung-soon, rode in an autonomous vehicle operated by the director of MCity for approximately 3 kilometers, experiencing the status of technology development directly. After this test drive, Governor Kim said, "I examined how to deal with accidents and, through virtual reality, saw how serious such accidents could be in the case of a sudden collision. Gyeonggi Province is focusing on related industries to create an advanced mobility hub. Based on today's experience, I will strive to make Gyeonggi Province a leading player in the advanced mobility industry."

Vice Chair Nam also said, "We will support the mobility budget in the assembly and endeavor to make autonomous driving a reality in Gyeonggi Province."