Gwangwon Trading, March, and Others Participate
"Competitiveness in the Global Market"
Hosted by Daegu Metropolitan City and organized by the Korea Optical Industry Agency, the "2025 Daegu Eyewear Industry Trade Delegation" visited Bangkok, Thailand from August 27 to 28, 2025, to hold an eyewear order fair.
This order fair attracted 43 buyers not only from Thailand but also from neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia. They were able to see K-Eyewear firsthand and engaged in purchase consultations. At the event, export consultations amounted to 3,083,000 USD (approximately 4.3 billion KRW), and contracts worth 1,520,000 USD (approximately 2.1 billion KRW) are expected to be finalized. Notably, half of the consultation amount is anticipated to turn into actual contracts, once again demonstrating the excellence and global competitiveness of the local eyewear industry.
Thirteen leading local eyewear companies participated in this order fair. Representatives and marketing managers from Glass Oppa Martin, Gwangwon Trading, March, Verdi Eyewear, Urban Eyewear, Optician Charlie People, JS Eyewear, Phantom Optical, Huve Eyewear, Fivestar, Forever Fashion Optical, Hanshin Optical, and Twoface Optical held one-on-one business meetings with buyers from Thailand and other major Southeast Asian countries. Through this process, direct contracts were concluded, confirming the potential for Korean eyewear to expand in the Southeast Asian market.
Meanwhile, the Korea Optical Industry Agency held meetings with the Thailand Opticians Association (TOA), the Optometrists Association of Thailand (OAT), and major distributor Vision Ventures to promote the excellence of Korean eyewear products. They officially invited these organizations and companies to the "2026 Daegu International Optical Show (DIOPS)" scheduled for April next year, and the invitees promised to visit Korea and attend the exhibition.
Representatives from the Wenzhou Optical Fair (WOF) and the Xiamen International Optics Fair (XMIOF) in China also visited the event in person and showed great interest. In addition, they proposed concrete cooperation measures such as joint marketing and company exchanges, agreeing to strengthen collaboration in the future.
A representative from M, a major Thai wholesale company, stated, "We placed direct orders for new K-Eyewear products at the event. Although it has been difficult to distribute Korean products due to the economic downturn following the pandemic, we plan to continuously expand cooperation with Daegu eyewear companies through this opportunity."
Kim Jonghan, President of the Korea Optical Industry Agency, said, "The Daegu eyewear industry is recognized for its competitiveness not only in Korea but also in the global market. We will continue to actively support local eyewear companies in expanding overseas through various support measures."
Meanwhile, Thailand is a key market in Southeast Asia where demand for eyewear continues to grow. Daegu Metropolitan City and the Agency expect that these achievements will serve as an important turning point in revitalizing the region's eyewear industry, which has been in a slump.
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