Politics Puts a Damper on Dinner for S. Koreans

When Republican congressional candidate Sang Korman’s campaign announced that 15 executives of major South Korean companies were coming to visit Ventura County this week, it billed the event as a demonstration of Korman’s ability to lure Pacific Rim businesses to his district.

However, when the South Koreans showed up at a dinner Korman sponsored Tuesday, they explained that they intended to inspect Ventura County anyway and said they would make their investment decisions regardless of who is elected.

Moreover, another benefit of the meeting sought by the Korman campaign--the opportunity for Ventura County elected and appointed officials to meet the South Koreans--largely failed because the officials perceived the event as a salvo in Korman’s primary campaign and did not attend.

Korman, a South Korean native, and Westlake Village Councilman Franklin D. Pelletier, the only officeholder endorsing him, hosted the South Korean executives during a dinner at Reubens Restaurant in Thousand Oaks on Tuesday. They were joined by about 15 local business people and a representative for Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi.

Two-Day Conference

The Korean businessmen were in Los Angeles for a two-day conference of the Korea Defense Industry Assn. and its American counterparts this week. Representatives of 70 South Korean firms that engage in defense manufacturing as well as other industries participated.

Korman, who is challenging Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley in the June 7 GOP primary, had contacted the group’s chairman, Chan-U Ryu--whom he knew from his experience as a businessman in Korea--to invite him and others to visit the 21st Congressional District.

Ryu said the South Korean executives did not intend to bolster Korman’s candidacy and would consider locating in Ventura County whether or not he is elected. He said Korman’s election would, however, be helpful.

“Korea is in the midst of trying to invest in the United States now because of the valuation of our currency and the trade imbalance” between the nations, said Ryu, who is also chairman of Poongsan Metal, which already owns a brass mill in the city of Vernon. “This is a good opportunity to show the Korean people this area. If it’s attractive, we’ll come in.”

South Korea had a $9.8 billion surplus in its $26 billion trade with the United States in 1987, said Ki Soo Kim, the Los Angeles consul general who also addressed the group. He said the South Korean government, wary of rising protectionist sentiment in the United States, has set a goal of a $6 billion surplus in 1988, and is encouraging investment in the United States.

Pelletier and Korman’s campaign were less than successful in persuading local officials to turn out. None of the five Ventura County supervisors attended; neither did anyone representing Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) or the Port Hueneme-Oxnard District, which Korman said he was specifically trying to assist.

“I felt that the motives behind this were not made clear in the letter,” Ventura County Supervisor Madge Schaefer of Thousand Oaks said of Pelletier’s invitation. “I would certainly welcome the opportunity to talk to any of these people about the advantages of Ventura County but I’m positive that’s not the intent of the meeting. It’s a campaign event.”

Schaefer is one of numerous local officials who have endorsed Gallegly.

Said another Republican official, who asked not to be identified: “If Korman did this several months ago or if he lost the primary and did it in July, I think he would get a good turnout. But since it’s so close to the primary, people are afraid it would be regarded as an endorsement.”

Pelletier and Korman’s campaign manager, Bob Lavoie, said they sought to make the session non-political, noting that Korman paid for it out of his own pocket rather than with campaign funds. But at the same time, news releases heralded it as a demonstration of Korman’s ability to lure jobs and investment to the district if he is elected.

“I think we’re disappointed a little bit” by the local turnout, said Jin Ryu, Chan-U Ryu’s son and interpreter.

The heads of the Westlake Village and Camarillo chambers of commerce spoke briefly, touting available land and office space, the numerous U.S. defense industries in the area and the only deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This, however, was only part of the South Korean group’s introduction to Ventura County. After their conference, the executives are touring three areas: Southern California, San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth.

They visited the General Dynamics, Hughes Aircraft, Northrop Corp. and Rockwell International plants, among others, in Ventura County on Wednesday. The tour was arranged apart from Korman’s invitation, Jin Ryu said.

Pelletier said he hoped Tuesday’s dinner would be the first of a series of such meetings between local representatives and executives from other countries. He said a gathering with business leaders from Taiwan is planned for this summer.