KOTRA Surpasses 10,000 Cases of 'Video Consultations' in Response to COVID-19

Export Achievements of 147 Cases Worth 51 Million USD

KOTRA achieved 10,298 online consultations in the first half of this year as it actively promoted video consultations in response to COVID-19. Kwon Pyung-oh, President of KOTRA (right), visited the cyber trade consultation site and greeted buyers. (Photo by KOTRA)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] KOTRA has surpassed 10,000 video consultation sessions aimed at connecting domestic companies, whose export routes were blocked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with overseas buyers.

On the 30th, KOTRA announced that the number of video consultations introduced in February reached 10,298 sessions. Since actively promoting consultations from mid-February, the average daily number of consultations was 106. Considering that 4,108 domestic companies participated, each company conducted about 2.5 consultations on average.

The number of overseas buyers participating in the video consultations was 4,745 companies. Consultations with buyers from China, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania accounted for 50%, and recently participation from North American and European markets has also been active.

The consultation items were dominated by consumer goods such as cosmetics, daily necessities, and food, accounting for 54.2%. Consultations in intermediate goods sectors such as automobile parts, machinery parts, and electrical and electronic products are also increasing. Company D, which produces lens components, said, “We are finding opportunities in items like thermal cameras due to niche demand created by COVID-19,” adding, “We are using video consultations to discover buyers.”

As a result of the video consultations, 147 deals worth 51 million USD (approximately 61 billion KRW) in export performance were achieved. The diagnostic medical devices and hygiene products sector, utilizing the K-quarantine brand, accounted for the largest number with 56 deals. Following that, consumer goods in the home economy sector, such as functional cosmetics and ready meals due to increased self-quarantine and telecommuting, recorded 54 deals.

Company H, supported by the New Delhi Trade Office, signed a road guardrail supply contract worth 2 million USD over three years. They discussed specific terms via video and exchanged contracts online.

KOTRA President Kwon Pyung-oh said, “While we have been striving to increase consultation opportunities over the past four months, we now plan to strengthen our foundation through follow-up management,” adding, “We will link various non-face-to-face projects such as sample delivery support through emergency vouchers, global OEM purchasing policy webinars, and online exhibitions within BuyKorea with video consultations.”

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