The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency (President Song Bokcheol) are set to actively target the Central Asian market.
On July 14, the city announced plans to form the "2025 Central Asia Trade Delegation" and dispatch local small and medium-sized enterprises to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 20.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are emerging markets with high demand for both industrial and consumer goods, and are strategically important overseas bases for the city. The delegation will focus on a comprehensive range of industrial and consumer goods, and participating companies are being recruited through the Busan Economic Promotion Agency's integrated overseas marketing system until July 21.
Participating companies will engage in export consultations, buyer matching, individual business meetings, and seminars on site. They will also receive support for various operational expenses related to the consultations, including 50% of round-trip airfare. The city aims to achieve more than 72 consultation sessions and contracts worth 4.5 million dollars per company for a group of eight companies. This target represents an increase of approximately 18% compared to the results of last year's Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan delegation.
Central Asia is a market with strong preferences for Korean products. According to the "2025 Overseas Hallyu Status Survey" by the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, 84.1% of Kazakhstani respondents reported having purchased Korean products or services in the past four years. Uzbekistan is Korea's largest trade partner in Central Asia, and expanded cooperation is expected through strengthened ties with local buyers.
The city is also actively responding to recent changes in the external trade environment. On July 7, ahead of the expiration of the U.S. reciprocal tariff waiver, the city held an "Export Crisis Response Meeting" with local export companies to share concerns about potential losses due to U.S. tariffs and to build consensus on the need to explore new markets. Dispatching this trade delegation is a follow-up measure, serving as a strategy to reduce dependence on exports to the United States and to diversify export risks by focusing on strategic markets.
Kim Bongcheol, Director of the Digital Economy Office, emphasized, "As the global trade environment changes rapidly, the city must serve as a solid bridge so that export companies can access diverse global markets. We will continue to expand effective overseas market development."
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