Gov. Greg Abbott’s business trip to East Asia comes as companies and immigrants from the region are influencing business, culture and entertainment across North Texas.
The countries Abbott will visit — Taiwan, South Korea and Japan — have significant communities of immigrants and nationals who enhance the vitality of North Texas, leaders say.
Much of the impact is in suburban cities like Plano.
“The diversity of Plano that was started through people coming to Plano from overseas, much of it by word of mouth to a certain degree, really became an asset or an advantage for Plano years ago,” said Plano Mayor John Muns, adding that the Toyota headquarters in Plano was a game-changer because it brought jobs and new residents to North Texas.
Muns said the diversity makes North Texas better.
“It’s amazing how those small business areas — including the Korean growth, the Taiwanese growth and the Japanese growth — have created so many more restaurants and shops that are really authentic,” he said.
![Spacious and open office spaces in Toyota's new North American headquarters campus in Plano.](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TROF4JG5XC6D5FK6D3KETFZB34.jpg?auth=f4bdc5f9a390d63fc82032ae76b49f1208c36cdc99e47e3a7af085e62417b6b8&width=830&quality=80)
North Texas cities have sister city programs in all three countries, and those relationships have aided in bringing businesses to the area.
The Korean community has flourished in North Texas, particularly in the past two decades. Large companies like Samsung set the tone for major employment. Other top Korean companies in North Texas include Nautilus Hyosung America, LG Electronics and Harman International Industries.
![John Lee (left) and Hyun Kyum Kim, two members of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce,...](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/VN67MQYVIVGC5FUKEAZN6XIXIY.jpg?auth=948e69ce7f402b5636e8218009cea56619c05ed0256c8cbf8c5a0bdacfaa833c&width=830&quality=80)
Small businesses also are influential, and the region has several H Marts, a popular Asian grocery chain.
There’s an official Koreatown in Northwest Dallas, a 1.6-mile strip on Royal Lane — from Luna Road to Harry Hines Boulevard — that helped turn a blighted area plagued by crime and prostitution into an economic center.
Carrollton has one of the fastest growing Korean business hubs in the state. Dallas has the largest Korean population in Texas and, behind Atlanta, the second largest in the South.
![A Korea Town sign sits atop a street sign along Royal Lane in Dallas, December 14, 2023.](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/VPOZ62IYXBB77IZO7BIT6BZRM4.jpg?auth=6d918d4aad0c76cac798960e2757c8a7ed02f462fa228525b9b5650bfbfdd044&width=830&quality=80)
“I was one of the original members that created the official Koreatown designation,” said John Lee, former chairman of the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce. Lee said less than 100 years ago Korea “had a GDP that was much smaller than the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.”
“I have a lot of pride in my Korean heritage and how we have grown by leaps and bounds,” he said. “We have become a pretty decent economic power. To be a part of that heritage, to be living in a state like Texas and especially Dallas-Fort Worth, I’m extremely proud to be a Korean American.”
North Texas also has a tight-knit Taiwanese community. Immigrants from China and Taiwan came to the region from the 1970s through the early 2000s, developing businesses and cultural identities while embracing America and Texas.
Major businesses from Taiwan are also in the region, including SMS Infocomm Corp., Delta Electronics USA and Evergreen Shipping.
Richardson’s Chinatown is a popular business center.
There’s also a Taiwanese Community Center in Richardson. The Taiwan Acrobatic Troupe has visited North Texas and is scheduled to return to Richardson in September, said Dr. Charles Ku, a retired Dentist and leader in the Greater Dallas Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce.
North Texas officials have made business trips to Taiwan for decades, including former Dallas Mayors Annette Strauss, Ron Kirk, Tom Leppert and Mike Rawlings.
“We try to do our part because we feel like the United States is a mosaic,” Ku said. “As a Taiwanese community, we want to make sure that our part of the mosaic shines.”
The Japanese community also has grown, particularly since Toyota placed its North American headquarters in Plano.
In recent years, numerous Japanese restaurants have opened in Dallas. Plano now has a Japanese grocery store, Mitsuwa Marketplace.
There’s also the Japanese School of Dallas, which holds classes at the Ted Polk Middle School in Carrollton. Established in 1970 by the Dallas Japanese Association, the weekend school educates kindergarten through eighth-grade students, most of them children of Japanese citizens who work in North Texas and of Japanese Americans who want to keep up Japanese traditions.
“We have a Japanese school that meets every Saturday,” said Sam Shichijo, honorary consul of Japan in Dallas. “There are more than 600 students at that school.”
![Mary Ku, left, and Dr. Charles Ku pose for a photograph at the Marshall Family Performing...](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BGMXUP2XQFDDFF43XTWKKEGR2Q.jpg?auth=e8db81bd4cbae50d3f4db474f63ad5aa6469724baea66c430f3537c34dfc13ea&width=830&quality=80)
Shichijo said 290 Japanese companies operate in North Texas.
North Texas is a center of Japanese entertainment, including music, sports and food.
The 25th annual Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival is scheduled for Sept. 14 at Haggard Park in Plano.
“When I was a little kid there really wasn’t much in North Texas,” said Beckie Callahan, executive director of Dallas-Fort Worth’s branch of the Japan America Society. “Now there are all kinds of cultural events that we are producing and are excited to share with people who may or may not be familiar with Japanese culture.”