Sung Rae-eun, chairman of the Korea Fashion Association, marking his second anniversary in office, announced plans to focus on accelerating global market expansion.
According to the Korea Fashion Association on the 3rd, Chairman Sung selected five key priorities for this year: accelerating global market expansion, realizing manufacturing innovation, strengthening intellectual property protection and overseas response, advancing the industry through artificial intelligence and fashion tech, and enhancing industry representation and policy capabilities. The association plans to elevate its execution capabilities around these priorities.
"If the past two years were a time to build the foundation for innovation and change in our fashion industry, this year will be one of creating visible results," Sung said. "Our vision will become reality only when all fashion professionals in Korea join forces."
Under the core vision of "Dressing the World in Korea," Chairman Sung has pursued major initiatives including supporting K-fashion's global expansion, strengthening apparel manufacturing competitiveness, protecting K-fashion intellectual property, and advancing the industry through fashion tech.
As his first project after taking office, he launched the Fashion IP Center, an organization overseeing fashion-related intellectual property protection. In recognition of his efforts to enhance the value and protect the rights of K-fashion brands, he received the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency Director's Award in November last year.
In global initiatives, the association expanded contacts with the National Retail Federation of the United States and Myntra, India's largest fashion platform. It established partnerships with Hyundai Department Store and Musinsa in retail, Hanjin in logistics, and SparkLabs, Signite Partners, and the Korea Startup Accelerators Association in investment, building a foundation for strengthening K-fashion's global capabilities.
In September 2024, the association opened Fashion Cube to strengthen apparel manufacturing competitiveness, facilitating connections between design and production.
The association also maintained close communication with the National Assembly, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Korean Intellectual Property Office, leading numerous meetings and discussions to serve as a bridge for reflecting industry opinions in policy. Notably, it hosted a National Assembly discussion forum for the Fashion Industry Promotion Act, which was proposed in February last year, contributing to establishing an institutional foundation for K-fashion's sustainable development.