Ministry of SMEs and Startups

On April 23, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Park Young-sun, hereafter “MSS”) stated that it held an online meeting for export consultations in collaboration with three export agencies, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (acting president Cho Jung-kwon), Korea Federation of SMEs (President Kim Ki-moon), and Korea International Trade Association (CEO Kim Young-ju), which aims to help SMEs explore global market opportunities and vitalize export as they are currently affectedby the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
The teleconference was prepared to provide intensive support from April to July for export marketing with 400 companies, including those damaged from the cancellation of domestic and international exhibitions because of the COVID-19 outbreak, and promising export SMEs in material–part–equipment and brand K and other industries.
 
For an efficient matching among domestic companies’ demand to enter into the international market and foreign buyers, the three export agencies will seek for buyers through global networks having been secured by each of the agencies, such as Big Buyer Club, Global BI, Overseas Private Network, and Korea–German Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
 
Staff dedicated to helping contracts concluded with the buyers matched through the video consultations, and follow-up consultation services will be put in place. As such, systematic support will be organized from matching and consultation to post-management through a total of 10 consultation meetings for both supporting targets and the markets that they will enter.

 
 
For this purpose, the export agencies, including Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, introduced the online video meeting system that connects Korea and abroadon real-time business. In addition, depending on circumstances, companies can choose their own offices or permanent video conference rooms constructed by the agencies for them to be used for online meetings with foreign buyers whenever they want.
* Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (Mokdong e-biz Center), Korea International Trade Association(Trade Center Startup Branch), Korea Federation of SMEs (Video Consultation Room, 3rd Floor, Yeouido Headquarter)
 
The first video conference was held on April 23 (Thursday) simultaneously at Korea International Trade Association and Korea SMEs and Startups Agency for the K-beauty and K-disinfection companies who lead the new Korea wave and the companies in the five top promising consumer goods industry.
 
The video export conference for K-beauty and K-disinfection products held by Korea International Trade Association was attended by 22 major buyers from 9 companies, including Sunning.com, the largest online and off-line integrated enterprise in China; JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce company; Interbat, one of top 5 pharma companies in Indonesia; and AEON TOPVALU,whichoperates 60 distribution stores in Malaysia.
 
In particular, the buyers actively participated in the consultations with 50 Korean companies, showing great interest in testing kits, anti-contamination clothing, and other products that currently receive attention with the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Korea SMEs and Startups Agency held the conference at the video export consultation hall set in Mokdong e-biz Center, inviting 38 foreign buyers from 18 countries, including China and Vietnam, to match them with 40 SMEs of the excellent consumer goods selected by the online export platform, GobizKOREA.
 
Kang Seong-cheon, Vice Minister of MSS, visited the video conference hall in COEX for the “K-beauty and K-Disinfection” consultation conference held by Korea International Trade Association. He checked export supporting system, including online tools, and encouraged the SMEs and supporting agencies that exerted efforts for international market entrance despite the harsh situation with COVID-19.
 
“Although Korean companies are facing difficulties related to international marketing because of COVID-19, we will try to overcome them with video consultation in the first half of this year by finally concluding the export contracts and strengthening support for buyers and their matching companies," he said.
 
“We will make every effort for Korean SMEs to enter the international market by expanding the international marketing programs, such as providing online theme halls* according to customers’ demand by country and market and holding online exhibitions by items,” he added.
 
* Theme halls by country, such as China Hall, New Southern Hall, New Norther Hall, and halls by items, including cosmetics and IT &High-tech, will be set in global online malls (Amazon, e-bay, Shoppy, etc.).
 
Companies who wish to participate in the video export consultation conference that will be held until July can select the desired regions for their market entrance and themes before application for the support through each agency’s website and Small and Medium Enterprise Export Support Center*.
 
* Korea SMEs and Startups Agency GobizKorea (kr.gobizkorea.com), Korea International Trade Association (kita.net), Korea Federation of SMEs (sme-expo.go.kr), Small and Medium Enterprise Export Support Center (exportcenter.go.kr)