Company ties North American hub to Battle of Gapyeong legacy, supports veterans after acquiring MCM Engineering II

Koo Ja-kyun, chairman of LS Electric. [LS Electric]
Koo Ja-kyun, chairman of LS Electric. [LS Electric]

By Park Hye-won, The Herald Business

LS Electric Chairman Koo Ja-kyun has built the company's presence in Utah — its key North American base — around a historical bond forged during the Korean War's Battle of Gapyeong.

Koo designated Utah as the company's strategic hub for the North American power market and in 2022 led the acquisition and scale-up of LS Electric Utah, formerly MCM Engineering II, in Cedar City.

In doing so, he drew on the legacy of the Battle of Gapyeong, in which 240 young Utah soldiers held off roughly 4,000 Chinese Communist forces in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, during the Korean War. He used that history to deepen ties with the local community.

Veterans' families and their descendants still live in the area where LS Electric Utah is based. LS Electric this year sponsored a Korean War veterans support program at Southern Utah University.

The company also covered all costs for surviving veterans to attend the 75th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Gapyeong, held in South Korea in May. It has also provided full support for the upkeep and maintenance of a Korean War Memorial Park in Cedar City.

"The foundation that allows us to stand firmly in the American market today was built on the noble sacrifice of Utah veterans who shed blood and sweat for freedom and peace," Koo said Tuesday. "Remembering and honoring the heroes who created the miracle of Gapyeong is a company's rightful duty, and the local business we have built on that bedrock of trust will achieve growth that never wavers."

Meanwhile, LS Electric is participating in the construction of a STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — education facility at Southern Utah University to help develop future industrial talent in the region. The company has also been actively working to secure locally based talent with ties to Korea, including joining an MOU led by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry to build a USFK employment platform.


klee@heraldcorp.com