Kim Byungsoo Leads Gimpo’s Global Investment Drive at IFA
Expanding the Foundation for Korean Companies’ Global Reach
Gimpo, the Only Association City to Operate a Promotional Booth at IFA 2025
Mayor Kim: “Focusing on Promoting Gimpo’s Companies and Future Strategic Projects”
Mayor Kim Byungsoo of Gimpo has launched a global investment drive, promoting Gimpo's growth potential to major international companies.
Kim Byungsoo, Mayor of Gimpo (first from the right), is visiting and inspecting the world's largest home appliance and IT exhibition held in Berlin, Germany, on the 6th. Provided by Gimpo City
On September 6 (local time), Mayor Kim visited the world's largest home appliance and IT exhibition (IFA) held in Berlin, Germany. There, he focused on laying the foundation for Korean companies, including those from Gimpo, to expand globally. He also instructed the operation of a promotional booth at IFA to actively showcase Gimpo's key investment destinations.
Currently, Gimpo is the only city among the members of the Korea Association of Major City Mayors to participate in 'IFA 2025', operating a dedicated promotion zone. The city is intensively promoting major investment and development projects such as the Gimpo Environmental Regeneration Innovation Complex, Gimpo Hangang 2 Compact City, and Gimpo Hangang Cinepolis.
Through its participation in this exhibition, Gimpo City is also conducting business meetings with global companies and relevant investment organizations, taking a multi-faceted approach to attract investment to Gimpo. The city is also determined to actively support domestic companies in pioneering overseas markets.
This initiative follows Gimpo's participation in the '2024 Korea Business Expo Vienna' last year. Mayor Kim has consistently worked on the ground to expand overseas markets for Gimpo-based companies. The '2024 Korea Business Expo Vienna', in which Gimpo participated, was a large-scale event attended by over 3,000 people, including Korean business CEOs, government officials, local governments, and entrepreneurs from 89 cities across 46 countries. At the time, Mayor Kim actively joined business leaders in seeking out new export partners.
Kim Byungsoo, Mayor of Gimpo, and the delegation participating in the Korea Association of Major City Mayors are with Life Lindner, CEO of IFA. The first on the right is Mayor Kim Byungsoo, and the third is CEO Life Lindner. Photo by Gimpo City
The IFA, along with CES in the United States and Mobile World Congress in Spain, is recognized as one of the world's top three electronics and information technology exhibitions. Each year, thousands of companies, consumers, and experts-numbering in the hundreds of thousands-participate in this event.
As Vice President of the Korea Association of Major City Mayors, Mayor Kim attended the expo, met with Life Lindner, CEO of IFA, to discuss ways to facilitate the global expansion of Korean companies, and achieved the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Korea Association of Major City Mayors and the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the event.
The memorandum of understanding aims to revitalize the regional economy by fostering cooperation between cities and companies, with a focus on nurturing young talent. It includes efforts to promote exchanges between German and Korean companies and cities, as well as collaboration to enhance the professional skills of young people.
During the discussions, IFA CEO Lindner said, "While touring IFA with the Mayor of Berlin, I asked which country's companies attract the most interest, and it was clear that Korean companies are the most sought after. We would welcome even more participation from Korean companies at IFA. We want to open our doors wider to Korean businesses."
Kim Byungsoo, mayor of Gimpo City, is visiting the Gimpo booth and having a conversation with Gimpo city officials. Photo by Gimpo City
On this day, Mayor Kim also visited the booths of major domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, as well as leading German companies like Miele, to observe trends in AI-based advanced technology products. He visited the Gimpo promotional booth to offer encouragement and support, and joined Gimpo-based business leaders participating in IFA to discuss Gimpo's global export strategies.
Mayor Kim stated, "Overseas expansion for Gimpo-based companies and attracting foreign investment to prepare for Gimpo's future are crucial for the city's growth. Our city will do its utmost to promote Gimpo's companies and future strategic projects on global stages like IFA, which attract the attention of companies and investors from around the world. Through these efforts, we will spare no support or effort to help Gimpo emerge as a global business hub."
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