Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Wednesday expanded Virginia’s international presence with the announcement of the commonwealth’s new marketing office in Seoul, South Korea. McAuliffe announced the opening of the new office during a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. He is currently on a 10-day marketing mission to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Australia. Julie Kim, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Director for Korea, is based in the new office in Seoul. Kim worked for VEDP from 2000-2006, promoting trade and investment in Korea.

“South Korea’s economy has experienced tremendous growth over the past four decades, representing the fifth fastest-growing source of foreign direct investment in the U.S. in 2015,” said Governor McAuliffe speaking at the announcement.

With the establishment of this office, Korean companies will have the opportunity to work directly with Virginia as they establish their “Go Global” strategy. According to SelectUSA, 45,100 U.S. workers were employed by U.S. affiliates of Korean-owned firms in 2014.