KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung Highlights ASEAN and India as Key Markets

In a recent meeting held in Hanoi, Vietnam, Kang Kyung-sung, the president of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), emphasized the importance of ASEAN and India as crucial markets for Korea's export strategy in 2025.

Kang's remarks came during the inaugural Southeast Asia and Oceania Trade and Investment Expansion Strategy Meeting, which marked his first official engagement since assuming office. The event underscored the need for active support from KOTRA officials to bolster export companies amidst a rapidly evolving global trade landscape.

The five-day trip to Vietnam and India aims to address export and investment-related issues, leveraging the significant potential of ASEAN and India, which together account for 20% of Korea's exports. Kang highlighted the region's young population, high economic growth rates, and abundant key mineral resources as factors that differentiate it from Western markets and make it a focal point for global cooperation.

At the meeting, Kang urged trade office heads to "strengthen local monitoring of changes in the ASEAN and Indian markets to identify new demands for our companies." The discussions also covered strategies for technological cooperation, entering premium consumer goods markets, and enhancing support for promising fields in the region.

The Southwest Asia Trade and Investment Expansion Strategy Meeting, scheduled for New Delhi, India, will delve into leveraging opportunities for global supply chain restructuring and expanding public-private cooperation. Kang's visit will also include assessing opportunities and challenges with companies that have entered the Indian market.

In a message to KOTRA organizations worldwide, Kang emphasized the importance of steadfast performance and active support for Korean companies in exports, overseas expansion, investment attraction, supply chain stabilization, and trade response.