What do an N.C. pig farmer and a South Korean ambassador have in common? A lot, and that's no joke.

Last month, Han Duk-soo, South Korea's ambassador to the United States, and farmer John Langdon were a stark contrast as they tramped around Langdon's pig farm in Johnston County, aptly illustrating the adage that politics makes strange bedfellows. So does business.

Next month, I'll be traveling with a group of journalists to South Korea, Okinawa, Japan and China, as part of a nearly month-long fellowship examining shifting security dynamics and tensions in the Asia Pacific region, and the United States' future role in tackling the issue. We'll talk to political leaders, academics and others about concerns and attitudes.

In preparation, I did some research and discovered surprisingly growing ties between the region and North Carolina. The ties are personal and financial, and affect policies that are shaping U.S. relations with the region.

That was clearly illustrated in that visit to Johnston County by South Korea's U.S. ambassador. He was part of a lobbying effort for the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which aims to reduce tariffs and open Korean markets to U.S. agricultural and other products. Declaring that the treaty would open South Korea's 49 million consumers to U.S. exports, Han took his lobbying straight to the Americans he claimed would benefit - N.C. business people.

He didn't have to do much to convince the N.C. Pork Council. That group has said it expects the treaty to increase profits by $10 per pig.

There are more Asia connections. China is North Carolina's No. 2 trading partner, after Canada, according to N.C. Chamber of Commerce information.

Both North Carolina and Charlotte have ties to Japan, Korea and China. Charlotte is the headquarters of Bank of America, which operates in 225 cities in 43 countries, including the financial capitals of Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools operates language immersion programs for students who study five languages, including Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. Charlotte also has eight international schools. A Japanese school, a Korean school and two Chinese schools are among them.

North Carolina has ramped up its ties with China. In January, N.C. and Chinese officials signed a pact to create a biosciences research facility in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other businesses. Gov. Bev Perdue plans to visit China in the fall to further deepen ties.

North Carolina also operates the N.C. Japan Center, a statewide resource center to assist residents, schools and companies with relations with the Japanese. It was founded in 1980 by then-Gov. Jim Martin.

Still, U.S. and N.C. attitudes about these countries are complex. Many both admire and resent China's economic rise. This state has felt the pain of the loss of manufacturing jobs that were the glue for the state's economy. Many of those jobs have been relocated to China, where wages are much lower and working conditions problematic. That has prompted a protectionist view and lobbying of policymakers to make it more difficult for U.S. businesses to send jobs to China and elsewhere.

In North Carolina, the ties to the Asia Pacific region are military as well. The state has one of the biggest military populations in the United States, with eight military bases. Many of those who fight and provide security in the region have been trained or stationed in North Carolina.

The connections are so long-lasting that North Carolina has a one-of-a-kind Korean War Veterans Memorial in Mint Hill. The memorial honors North Carolinians who fought and are still serving in South Korea.

This is my second trip to China and my first to Japan and South Korea. What I learned in China enhanced my understanding of the challenges the United States faces as Asian countries evolve economically and educationally. Those issues, as we've seen with the Arab Spring uprisings, have direct impact on security concerns.

As I set out for East Asia, I will be eager to learn how economic, educational and political changes are playing out in countries where our ties are deep and growing. Stay tuned.