Gyeonggi Province has achieved export results totaling $45.42 million from January to May this year through export consultation meetings and support for overseas exhibitions, as a proactive response to tariff pressures from U.S. President Trump.
In order to minimize the impact of tariffs following the launch of Trump's second term, Gyeonggi Province has implemented various export and trade support projects, including the operation of Gyeonggi Business Centers (GBC), trade promotion delegations, Global Bridge market expansion support (export consultation meetings), export consultations to address non-tariff barriers, and participation in group pavilions at exhibitions.
First, through the GBC, Gyeonggi Province provided one-stop support for the entire process from local customs clearance to distribution, and operated various support programs such as export marketing agency (GMS), buyer matching (GBM), and online exhibitions (GPS). As a result, by April, the province supported 418 GMS companies, leading to export contracts worth $37.43 million.
Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province plans to establish new GBCs in six locations in the second half of the year, including Vancouver in Canada, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and Frankfurt in Germany in June, followed by Warsaw in Poland, Dallas in the United States, and Santiago in Chile. With these additions, the total number of GBCs will increase to 25 by the end of this year.
In particular, Gyeonggi Province dispatched a trade promotion delegation comprising 20 local companies to North America (Los Angeles, USA; Mexico City, Mexico) and the Middle East (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates) to support one-on-one customized export consultations with local buyers. The North America and Middle East trade promotion delegation, which included companies specializing in electrical, electronic, and mechanical parts, achieved contract negotiations worth $17.73 million.
A representative from Company Y in Ansan, who participated in the mechanical parts trade promotion delegation, said, "Thanks to this support, we have decided to pursue a renewed contract with a Saudi Arabian company with whom business had been suspended since 2024, and we have also signed a business agreement worth $1 million with another company, enabling us to make a full-fledged entry into the Middle Eastern market." The representative expressed satisfaction with Gyeonggi Province's support programs.
Gyeonggi Province also held local export consultation meetings to proactively respond to non-tariff barriers.
In April, the province organized two local export consultation meetings in Australia-Malaysia and China for 18 companies that had obtained or were preparing to obtain overseas certifications, resulting in contract negotiations worth $4.57 million. The province introduced a comprehensive on-site support system that included not only simple buyer matching but also preliminary research on the local trade environment, analysis of tariff and non-tariff regulations, and post-management consulting, which received positive feedback from participating companies.
In addition, over the past five months, Gyeonggi Province has sent 88 companies to six domestic and overseas business exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and Asia, achieving contract negotiations worth $116.32 million.
Park Kyungseo, Director of International Trade at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province will continue to provide swift and comprehensive export support so that local exporting SMEs can confidently take on overseas markets," adding, "We hope that Gyeonggi Province's trade and exhibition support projects will serve as a new growth engine for local exporting SMEs."
Meanwhile, in February, Gyeonggi Province held an on-site meeting with local exporting SMEs to listen to their difficulties regarding tariff measures by the Trump administration's second term. In March, the province also held a joint public-private emergency economic meeting at the East Pier of Pyeongtaek Port, announcing support measures such as a special management fund of 50 billion won for companies affected by U.S. tariffs.
To help local SMEs pioneer new overseas markets and enhance export competitiveness, Gyeonggi Province plans to strengthen trade and exhibition support projects in the second half of the year, including trade promotion delegations to China and Southeast Asia, participation in the IFA Berlin, and G-FAIR.
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