Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo stressed partnership with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in the company’s welcoming ceremony for the mayor’s visit in Seoul on Monday.

Deal, leading a delegation to Seoul, met with Chung and senior officials at Kia Motors Corp., the group’s affiliate, to discuss mutual cooperation for Korean companies operating in the U.S. state, including Kia’s production facility.

“Kia’s factory in Georgia was able to pull of high production efficiency and produce more than 300,000 cars a year thanks to the support from the Georgia government. I thank the state government for that, and ask for continued support,” Chung said.

Kia’s factory in West Point, Georgia, is Kia’s first production facility in the U.S. built last May. The group’s sister carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. has a plant in Montgomery, Alabama. Korea is Georgia’s 11th-largest export market and sixth largest import market. A total of 55 Korean facilities operate in Georgia, employing around 5,800 workers.

By Cynthia J. Kim (cynthiak@heraldmcom)