Pukyong National University Students Excel as Export Ambassadors for Local Companies

Supporting Marketing Activities of Korean SMEs at Overseas Exhibitions
by the GTEP Team

Students from Pukyong National University (President Bae Sanghoon) served as export ambassadors for small and medium-sized enterprises from Busan at the 'LIFESTYLE Week Tokyo (Tokyo Gift Show)' held at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan from July 2 to July 4, 2025.

Ten students from the 19th class of the Pukyong National University Regional Specialized Youth Trade Expert Training Program (GTEP) supported four Busan-based SMEs at their booths during the exhibition, assisting with buyer engagement, interpretation and translation, and product presentations.

Students from Pukyong National University are supporting marketing activities for small and medium-sized enterprises at overseas exhibitions. Photo by Pukyong National University

This exhibition is the largest comprehensive lifestyle trade show in Japan and is recognized as a key opportunity for Korean companies to enter overseas markets, as it attracts a large number of buyers and industry professionals from around the world.

The Pukyong National University students who participated in the exhibition leveraged their expertise in international commerce to help companies secure export contracts. The GTEP team also operated an independent booth at the event, where they directly showcased products from partner companies and worked to attract buyers.

Earlier, at 'THAIFEX-Anuga Asia 2025,' Asia's largest comprehensive food exhibition held at the IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok, Thailand in May, 17 GTEP students were active at the booths of eight promising export companies from Busan as well as at the GTEP team’s own booth, providing product presentations and conducting consultations with buyers.

Even after the exhibitions concluded, the students have continued to support companies in their actual export contract negotiations by maintaining communication with buyers through email and other means.

The Pukyong National University GTEP team plans to further expand its activities to strengthen the practical export capabilities of local companies and enhance students’ global trade skills by maintaining close cooperation with regional businesses.

The GTEP program is an initiative by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea International Trade Association to foster young trade experts in fields such as trade operations and export marketing. Since last year, Pukyong National University has been selected to operate this program.