GARDEN GROVE : Officials Begin Trade Mission to S. Korea

Hoping to encourage Asian investment here, a group of city officials leaves today on a trade mission to South Korea.

“We already have the Korean community here, so basically we have a little bit of a hometown atmosphere here for them,” said Mayor Bruce A. Broadwater, who will be traveling with Councilman Ho Chung, Assistant City Manager Mike Fenderson and several members of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and the Korean-American Assn.

The delegation is hoping to draw overseas investors to revitalize several commercial areas.

“We want to build a better Koreatown,” said Raymond Choi, president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce. “We have a problem with vacancy at the shopping center on Garden Grove Boulevard. First, we want to bring more tenants. . . . Also, we would like to bring in more hotels.”

Broadwater said new lodgings could house Korean tourists and other visitors to nearby Disneyland. Choi said that would also create a market for other businesses, such as Korean restaurants, a Korean-style health spa and other retail establishments.

In addition, Korean community leaders in Garden Grove hope to persuade companies to invest in a Korean community center that would host cultural events.

The city has designated three sites--the Harbor Boulevard corridor, Garden Grove Boulevard downtown and the stretch of the boulevard between Beach Boulevard and Brookhurst Street--for development.

In accordance with state redevelopment laws, the city would offer financial and planning assistance to encourage new construction projects.