On July 14th, 2025, Mayor Blangiardi said goodbye to the Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Lee Seo-Young who is going back to South Korea and retiring from public service.
Mayor Blangiardi mentioned how great it was to work with Consul General Lee during his time in Honolulu and how much he appreciated the Korean community as a whole.
The Korean Consulate General oversees Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, serving approximately 50,000 Korean Americans in Hawaii who trace their heritage to the first Korean immigrants who arrived as sugarcane laborers in 1903. Hawaii holds strategic importance for Korean Peninsula security through the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees 360,000 troops including U.S. Forces Korea.
Beyond security ties, Hawaii and South Korea maintain vibrant cultural and economic exchanges through tourism, sister city relationships, and growing local interest in Korean pop culture, food, and language.
Honolulu has two Sister Cities with South Korea: Seoul and Incheon.
