The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office was able to connect with another law enforcement agency from across the world.

Deputy Yee Lee recently traveled to South Korea to visit his parents in the East Asian country and dropped by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to share his knowledge of American policing with law enforcement personnel there.

In 2002, Lee, along with his father and sister, moved from South Korea to Maryland, while his mother stayed in South Korea. Since moving to the United States, Lee has only seen his mother four to five times over the course of 20 years, he said.

“I somehow feel like I’m going back in time in a time machine whenever I see my mom. It is a weird feeling, yet it’s the greatest,” Lee said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.

After living in Maryland for two years, the family moved to Georgia, where he’s lived for 18 years. Lee’s father moved back to South Korea after Lee went to college in 2010.

Lee has been working for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for three years. As his grandfather was a police officer in South Korea, Lee wanted to follow in his footsteps to help protect his family and friends.

While overseas, Lee presented a plaque to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. The plaque will be displayed at the agency’s headquarters. The agency gave Lee items to take back to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

“They said it was the best plaque they’ve ever gotten,” Lee said.

Lee said he was honored to be able to present the plaque.

“It was such a great experience to show another country how the Cherokee sheriff’s office is composed of great men and women,” Lee said.

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