
Update: The measure failed because using Irvine Recovery Plan funds for a trade show sponsorship is illegal; Kim asked the city to consider sponsoring with money from the general fund with a wet tissue-based argument about how the conference benefits Irvine’s Korean businesses. The measure failed on a 3 to 2 vote with Kathleen Treseder joining Kim with a yes vote. Maybe Dr, Treseder should have called Patrick Strader for some sort of contribution 😉
An interesting item on tonight’s Irvine City Council meeting:
CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST BY VICE MAYOR KIM TO ALLOCATE UNUSED IRVINE RECOVERY PLAN FUNDS AND APPROVE A $50,000 SPONSORSHIP REQUEST FOR THE 2023 WORLD KOREAN BUSINESS CONVENTION EVENT
If you follow Tammy Kim on social media, you’ll know she’s the best member of the Irvine City Council to use social media. Friends tell me she shows up everywhere, grabs some snaps for Instagram and is gone like the wind. And she’s very proud of her Korean hertiage where she never misses a single store opening or holiday.

But Kim wants to spend $50,000 from about $150,000 of unspent Irvine Recovery Plan funds to have the city sponsor ther 2023 World Korean Business Convention that takes place in Anaheim in a few weeks. Where, she will no doubtedly, show up and take all sorts of social media photos.
There are easy cases and hard cases for how the city should or shouldn’t spend money. This is an easy case. They can’t. And the blame for even allowing this to be agendized falls on both the City Manager and City Attorney.
Irvine Planning Commissioner Branda Lin posted this explanation on X, formerly known as Twitter:
With the convention only two weeks away, even if Irvine did sponsor, it’s likely too late to be in any printed materials for the event program and any signage on the convention center floor would have to be rush printed. And at only 3,000 estimated attendees, it’s a small conference. $50,000 makes it a pricey event with no clear cut benefit for Irvine other than for Vice Mayor Kim to promote herself.
Here’s more about the show, which is being held outside of South Korean for the first time:
Previously known as “Hansang”, the World Korean Business Convention kicked off in 2002 with about 968 participants from more than 28 countries. Thereafter, the Convention grew each year to become the biggest Korean business convention in the world, averaging approximately 3000 participants from about 60 countries each year.
For the past 20 years, the Convention has played a pivotal role in lifting small to mid-sized Korean businesses into the global marketplace and bridging interactions between domestic and overseas Korean businesses.
Through K-pop, K-food, K-drama, and K-movies, the world has already experienced the effects of the creative minds of Korean entrepreneurs. The World Korean Business Convention will further ride this K-wave in hopes of leaving a lasting mark, here in Orange County and throughout the USA.
The Overseas Koreans Agency (“OKA”), an affiliate of Korean Foreign Ministry has launched WKBC, together with Overseas Koreans Economic Organizations (“OKEO”). The 21st WKBC, being held in the US for the first time, will also be co-hosted by the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of USA (“KACCUSA”), through its local Orange County affiliate, Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (“KACCOC”).
There’s no guarantee this conference will come back to Anaheim next year. Maybe Kim can convince the Oraneg County Power Authority to sponsor the conference.
Like I said; this is a easy case. The council should vote no.
You need an editor. I spoke against the proposal. Looks like it’s gonna flame out.
Undoubtedly, the city council did not pass Tammy Shin er Kim’s self-serving resolution. Orange you glad?
Tammy Kim is back at it again. For the October 10th 2023 meeting she is still trying to give the Korean American Chamber of Commerce money for the convention. She is trying to use the “Community Partnership Grant” funds……. But since the Korean American Chamber of Commerce is not a 501(c)3 nonprofit they are not technically eligible…….. let’s see how Tammy tries to spin this one