'Korea Sourcing Week' Opens... Expanding Market Access for SMEs

Held at Ilsan KINTEX on the 21st-22nd
Targeting 1,558 Small and Venture Businesses

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 21st that, together with the Small and Medium Business Corporation, the Korea Federation of SMEs, and the Foundation for Cooperation between Large, Small, and Agricultural Businesses, it will hold the ‘2023 Korea Sourcing Week’ event at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.

In September last year, the '2022 Korea Sourcing Week' was held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Running from today until the 22nd, Sourcing Week provides opportunities for both domestic and export business consultations to help small and medium enterprises expand their sales channels at home and abroad. This year, the event targets 1,558 SMEs. There will be a large-scale one-on-one matching consultation with 100 buyers from 37 overseas countries, 59 domestic distribution buyers including department stores, open markets, and specialty malls, and 45 companies from large corporations, public institutions, and trading companies.

Living, beauty, and food exhibition halls will be set up to showcase 200 excellent products from SMEs. Domestic and international influencers will be invited to conduct live commerce sessions, and an e-commerce forum and distribution channel entry briefing sessions will also be held.

To diversify exports, the event has increased the proportion of new markets such as the Middle East among overseas buyers. To create synergy with the Golden Harvest Festival in September, 77 outstanding participating companies will be provided with consultation and exhibition opportunities.

Lee Dae-hee, Director of SME Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “This event was held with a strong will and hope to overcome the recent difficult domestic and international business conditions for SMEs and to simultaneously promote domestic and export sales,” adding, “The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will take the lead in supporting SMEs and startups so that their exports and sales can each account for more than 50% of the Korean economy.”