Over 50 On-Site Communications... '9 Months Since Inauguration' Gu Ja-yeol: "Resolving Export Companies' Difficulties Is the Top Priority"

31st Trade Association President
"Focus on Cooperation Among Large, Medium, and Small Enterprises"

Koo Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, is speaking at a press conference commemorating the "58th Trade Day" held on the 22nd at Trade Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Korea International Trade Association] [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Gu Ja-yeol, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), marked his 9-month anniversary in office on the 23rd. True to his background as a business executive (chairman of LS Group), he has focused on "communication on the ground," visiting sites more than 50 times over approximately 270 days to resolve difficulties faced by export companies.

According to KITA, since Gu assumed the position of the 31st chairman of the association on February 24, he has undertaken over 50 field visits to address issues faced by large, medium, and small export companies. Despite concurrently holding the position of group chairman, he has met with member company representatives on-site at least once a week.

At a press briefing held the day before, Gu laughed and said, "I am somewhat of an 'action type' who prioritizes action, so whenever something happens, I try to rush to the site unconditionally." He emphasized, "For our country to prosper, exports are ultimately important," adding, "The logistics problems caused by COVID-19 seem to be the most serious issue, so I have focused on helping small and medium export companies work diligently without worry."

In fact, he successfully facilitated projects supporting dedicated shipping space and air cargo capacity exclusively for small and medium enterprises in cooperation with large corporations. He also established support measures by operating a comprehensive support center for businesspeople’s immigration and a comprehensive response center for import-export logistics. Additionally, the chairman’s group formed in May included a large number of major corporate trading companies such as Samsung C&T, LX International (formerly LG Sangsa), GS Global, CJ ENM, as well as digital and content companies.

Gu stated, "I included specialized trading companies in the chairman’s group with the hope that (large corporations) would introduce many good customers to smaller companies and help small and medium export companies grow through cooperation," emphasizing, "We are also making efforts to recruit many new member companies." He added, "Providing high-quality services to member companies is the role of KITA," and pledged, "We will continue to strengthen the initiatives we have been pursuing, such as integrating online and offline services, incorporating digital environments, and fostering startups."

Gu is the first private-sector business executive to serve as chairman in 15 years since Kim Jae-chul, honorary chairman of Dongwon Group (served 1999?2006). He began his career in 1978 at Lucky-Goldstar Trading (now LX International) and has extensive experience navigating the global trade scene as a businessperson. According to the '2021 Export-Import Evaluation and 2022 Outlook' report released by KITA’s International Trade and Commerce Research Institute in his first year in office, South Korea’s exports this year are expected to reach $636.2 billion, a 24.1% increase from the previous year, marking the highest annual performance ever. Imports are forecasted to increase by 29.5% to $605.7 billion. Next year, exports are projected to rise 2.1% to $649.8 billion, and imports are expected to increase 1.6% to $615.4 billion.