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State and local economic development executives have been busy recently with international trade missions.

This week, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) heads a county delegation that includes several business leaders to South Korea and China. Last year, Leggett led a trade mission to Israel.

Participants will include representatives from HarVest Bank of Maryland, Amarex Clinical Research, TissueGene, RNL Biostar, Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, K&Y Investment Properties, Zaracom and Rafagen, plus the state Department of Business and Economic Development and National Institutes of Health.

The group is scheduled to leave Tuesday and return Oct. 17. In Korea, participants will attend the Bio Korea 2008 forum and meet with the president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, as well as pharmaceutical manufacturers.

In China, the itinerary includes visits to the Chinese operations of two Rockville companies, U.S. Pharmacopeia and Sirnaomics China, plus Marriott China and Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

On Monday, Leggett attended the first meeting of the new 34-member Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force. The advisory group is chaired by former MedImmune CEO David Mott, and members include Bruce Lee, president of TissueGene, and Roger Williams, CEO of U.S. Pharmacopeia.

Robert L. Walker, the state's director of international trade and investment, said representatives from his office have also gone to Sweden, Finland, Russia and South Africa recently. The state will host this year, or recently has hosted, delegations from Spain, Russia, China and Finland, he said.

The missions encourage companies to move operations to Maryland and increase trade with local businesses, Walker said. "To do that, it requires travel," he said. "You can't do this type of work sitting in your office."

The state plans to open its sixth foreign office in South Korea this fall. It will be the first foreign office that will be run by a private company, a concept that will likely serve as a model for future foreign offices, Walker said.

IDI Corp. of Ellicott City will run the office and receive funding on the condition that it attracts South Korean companies that create jobs in Maryland.

Exports from Maryland companies to other nations grew by 35 percent in the first half this year from a year ago, to $5.7 billion, according to federal data. That jump was almost twice the national rate of growth.