Busan is good

Busan Launches the “2025 Digital Overseas Marketing Support Project Linked to deXTer”

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon), in cooperation with the Busan Office of KOTRA (Director Kang Byung-soo), announced the launch of the “2025 Digital Overseas Marketing Support Project Linked to deXTer,” aimed at supporting online digital trade and global exports for SMEs in Busan.

Amid accelerating technological innovation and the full onset of the digital trade era, the city and KOTRA have established a “Digital Export Center” (deXTer), which is garnering attention from Busan-based companies. The deXTer platform, created in July 2023 and located in BEXCO, serves as a digital business hub that enables SMEs across Korea to easily utilize online platforms and receive digital content production support, in line with global market trends.

Busan's deXTer is located on the basement floor of Exhibition Hall 1 in BEXCO and includes on-site business infrastructure such as a filming studio, digital trade consultation rooms, and digital marketing rooms.

This year marks the first implementation of this initiative as a region-specific project, in partnership with KOTRA, Korea’s leading public trade promotion agency. The program will support the full trade cycle—ranging from market and product analysis, trade expert consultations, and digital content creation to registration on BuyKOREA (KOTRA’s official B2B e-commerce platform), digital marketing, and buyer consultations leading to export contracts.

※ BuyKOREA: A B2B e-commerce platform operated by KOTRA that allows Korean companies to promote their products and connect with overseas buyers online.

This project is expected to help SMEs, which often struggle with fees associated with private B2B platforms and the high cost of digital content production, gain cost-effective access to digital trade opportunities and grow sustainably as global sellers through public export support platforms.

Additionally, the project will provide opportunities for direct consultations with overseas buyers during offline events such as the International Environmental and Energy Industry Exhibition and Global Healthcare Week in the second half of the year, maximizing synergy and helping Busan-based SMEs achieve tangible export outcomes. A wide range of active support channels will be mobilized to ensure success.

Participating companies will also benefit from practical business consultations and follow-up support through local buyer and market research facilitated by KOTRA’s overseas trade centers and the City of Busan’s international trade offices.

Any Busan-based SME with export performance under USD 30 million in the previous year is eligible to apply. Applications can be submitted by August 29 via the city's Integrated Overseas Marketing System (trade.bepa.kr) or the KOTRA website (www.kotra.or.kr).

Meanwhile, the City of Busan is actively promoting digital trade for SMEs through programs supporting registration on the world’s largest online shopping platform Amazon.com and the global B2B platform Alibaba.

Through BuyKOREA registration supported by this deXTer-linked initiative, the city expects to enhance export capacity among Busan-based SMEs and stimulate digital exports, thereby contributing to the city's overall economic growth.

Kim Bong-cheol, Assistant Mayor of the Digital Economy Office, stated, “We will continue to make proactive efforts to close the digital divide through the Digital Export Center (deXTer), empowering all Busan companies to engage in digital trade and realize Busan’s vision of becoming a business-friendly city open to global commerce.”