Irvine offers limited sponsorship for Korean Business Convention

Looks like Irvine Vice Mayor Tammy Kim is getting her way after all.  After being turned down for $50,000 of city funds to sponsor a Korena Business Trade show that starts tomorrow, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan is recommending $7,500 of Irvine taxpyaer dollars to sponsor the 2023 World Korean Business Convention.  Khan made some calls and learned that neighboring cities were sponsoring with similar amounts and is using money to support the Korean American Chamber of Commerce which will use these funds, plus grants from Kim and Council member Mike Carroll to make it a total of $17,500.

That’s what being voted on tonight.

When she failed to get $50K two weeks ago, Kim turned to The Korea Times to whine.  In an article (I don’t have the link, sorry; and I’m using Google Translate), “Vice Mayor Tammy Kim said,”The growth of Irvine, Orange County’s second largest city, has been largely driven by Korean companies such as Kia, Hyundai Capitla and Hanwha Q Cells, and we are deeply disappointed by Mayor Khan and Council member Argan’s decision to vote against support the World Business Conference.”

Once Kim became aware that Khan and Carroll were adding to her total, she wanted to present “a big check” sponsorship ceremony for the total and was told she could not.  Which means, she’ll probably do a “big check for $5,000” ceremony for her social media feed.

I contacted the conference for press credentials and they start their day Wednesday with a press conference.  The kick is it will be in Korean only; no English translation.

Here’s what Kim is really trying to do:

• Use Taxpayer money to support Korean business entities and organizations in exchange for their support when she’s on the ballot next year.
• Only recognizes Korean business for Irvine’s growth while ignoring companies like Broadcom, Edwards Lifesciences, Rivian, the Irvine Company, FivePoint. There’s more to Irvine’s economy than Korean companies.
• There are other business conventions tied to ethnic and racial non-profits and I doubt she’s going to offer any financial support for those.
• Another opportunity to go to the Korean Press and complain about Farrah Khan and Larry Agran.  Would the Korean press write about Tammy Kim’s lack of support for other ethnic non-profits?

I don’t think this convention deserves a dime for sponsoring. Irvine gets to co-host a breakfast and have a booth for a conference will only 3,000 attendees; too late for printed literature or decent signage.  Likely to produce zero economic benefit for the city but lots of political capitol for our Korean-American electeds.  If the crowd was 30,000, ok, you have a business case.  This show is too small.