Gyeongbuk Region Agricultural Specialties, Overseas Exports Surge Despite COVID-19

April Exports Reach 4.7 Billion KRW, Up 51% Year-on-Year... Governor Lee Cheol-woo's Aggressive Overseas Sales Efforts Prove Effective

Gyeongbuk Tongsang employees are sorting paprika for export.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, exports of agricultural specialty products from the Gyeongbuk region have significantly increased, mainly to the United States, Canada, and Japan.

According to Gyeongbuk Tongsang Co., Ltd., a company invested by Gyeongsangbuk-do, as of the end of April this year, the total export amount reached 16 billion KRW, an 18% increase compared to the same period last year (13.1 billion KRW). The export volume for April alone was 4.71 billion KRW, a substantial 51% increase compared to April last year (3.115 billion KRW).

Currently, Gyeongbuk Tongsang Co., Ltd. exports over 220 items, including fresh agricultural products such as paprika, apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, and oriental melons, as well as processed foods produced by 32 companies, to more than 20 countries including the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Recently, export growth to the North American region has been particularly notable.

The Gyeongbuk provincial government’s own analysis attributes this export growth to the secured safety of Korean food products and the aggressive marketing strategies continuously pursued, which have earned considerable trust from overseas buyers.

In particular, last year, Governor Lee Cheol-woo met with Vice Chairman Kyoung of VIN Group, Vietnam’s largest group, and its executives during his visit to Southeast Asia, successfully securing new entry of Gyeongbuk agricultural products into VIN Mart, and signed an agreement to expand trade with the Korean distribution company K-Mart.

Additionally, during visits to the Americas, agreements to expand exports were signed with Korean distribution companies in the LA area such as Han Nam Chain and Ultari USA, as well as with H-Mart headquartered in New Jersey and the New Jersey Korean Business Association. Active sales activities and diversification of export items centered on regional specialties have yielded visible results, including signing a trade expansion agreement with the Tokyo branch of the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA) in Japan.

Chairman Go Sang-gu of K-Mart in Vietnam, Chairman Kwon Il-yeon of H-Mart in the United States, Chairman Ha Gi-hwan of Han Nam Chain, and CEO Kim Kyu-hwan of Hitoshina Trading in Japan serve as overseas advisory members for Gyeongbuk Province, greatly assisting the overseas expansion of Gyeongbuk’s agricultural specialty products in the U.S., Japan, Vietnam, and other countries.

Since its establishment in 1994 as a distribution channel to promote exports of local agricultural specialty products, Gyeongbuk Tongsang Co., Ltd. has supported the overseas market entry and domestic distribution of regional products. Especially since 2014, it has transformed into an export-specialized company, continuously increasing sales through diversification of export countries and active overseas market development and marketing activities, winning the 30 million USD export tower award last year.

Kim Yu-tae, appointed CEO in February, stated, “Gyeongbuk Tongsang is preparing for a leap forward with new strategies to increase the income of farmers and fishermen through the export of local agricultural and marine products,” and requested, “We ask farmers and fishermen in the province to trust and actively use Gyeongbuk Tongsang.”

Jeon Woo-heon, Deputy Governor for Economy of Gyeongsangbuk-do, said, “So far, efforts to expand professional personnel at Gyeongbuk Tongsang and diversify export items and regions have greatly contributed to increasing the income of farmers and fishermen through export expansion,” and pledged, “We will support the production of high-quality agricultural products and the development of agricultural specialty products tailored to the demands of each country, and will also put much effort into pioneering new markets.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.