The 24th World Korean Business Convention, which will bring together about 300 global buyers and roughly 400 Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), opens registration on Wednesday.
The convention will run for three days, from September 28 to 30, at Songdo Convensia in Incheon. The Overseas Koreans Agency is accepting applications from both companies and buyers simultaneously through the Hansang Net platform.
The centerpiece is the corporate exhibition. It will be held across Halls 1 through 3 with 460 booths, accompanied by one-on-one business consultations. The structure is designed so that on-site meetings can lead to actual export contracts. Participation fees are 2.8 million won for a standard booth and 2.5 million won for an independent booth, with discounts available for early applicants.
This year's convention will shift to a private sector-led format. Overseas Korean business leaders, known as hansang, will participate from the planning stage to focus on business outcomes.
Four events will be held simultaneously to coincide with the inaugural "World Korean Week" (September 27 to October 1), which has been designated for the first time this year. The World Federation of Korean Associations Convention and the World Korean Next Generation Convention will be held alongside the newly established World Korean Convention. For SMEs, this offers an opportunity to secure multiple buyer channels at once.
"With the shift to private sector-led operations and the expansion of World Korean Week, both the scale and substance of the event will take a step forward," an official from the Overseas Koreans Agency said. "We hope companies seeking to expand overseas will actively participate."
