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Busan Metropolitan City Holds “Overseas Trade Advisors Invitational Business Meeting” to Support Local Companies in Expanding Export Markets

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency (President Song Bok-chul) announced that they will host the “Overseas Trade Advisors Invitational Business Meeting” today (October 24) from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Josun Busan.

This event was organized to support local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in exploring overseas sales channels. Since 2017, the city has invited overseas trade advisors—Korean business leaders residing abroad who have ties to Busan—and buyers personally recruited by them to provide one-on-one consulting and export counseling sessions. These include buyer matching, discussions on local market conditions, and customized consulting for export strategies.

Overseas trade advisors are Korean businesspeople living abroad who are either originally from Busan or have a strong interest in the city’s development. They are appointed upon recommendation from overseas diplomatic missions, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the Korea International Trade Association, and the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA).

Currently, 18 advisors from 15 countries serve as trade development experts, playing diverse roles such as promoting the city, providing insights into local economic trends and market conditions, and advising Busan-based companies on advancing into overseas markets.

This year’s meeting brings together 13 overseas trade advisors from 12 countries—including China, Vietnam, and Australia—along with 7 buyers from 6 countries, all recruited directly by the advisors, to actively support Busan’s companies in expanding their global presence.

More than 50 local companies are participating, engaging in customized consultations with overseas buyers on a wide range of industrial and consumer products.

To reduce the burden on participating companies, the event provides free services such as overseas market entry consultations with trade advisors, business meetings with buyers, and interpretation support.

Kim Bong-cheol, Assistant Mayor of the Digital Economy Office, stated, “We expect this meeting to help local companies diversify their export markets amid the rapid changes in the global trade environment,” adding, “Busan Metropolitan City will continue to expand its overseas trade network and actively support the development of new export channels.”