Gu Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Korean Martial Arts Association, Visits HMM and Korea Marine Transport to Request Expansion of Support for Small and Medium Enterprises

On the 15th, Korea International Trade Association Chairman Koo Ja-yeol (left) and HMM President Bae Jae-hoon met. Photo by Korea International Trade Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the afternoon of the 15th, Koo Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), visited HMM and Korea Marine Transport consecutively to explain the recent difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in securing shipping space and requested the shipping companies' assistance and expansion of shipping space support.

KITA explained that this is the first time a representative of a shipper organization has directly visited shipping companies to request support amid the ongoing global shipping crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman Koo said, "We appreciate the multifaceted support from national shipping companies for our export SMEs, such as the deployment of temporary vessels and the provision of dedicated shipping space for SMEs," but added, "I would like to once again highlight the difficulties the trade industry is experiencing in maritime transportation and request increased attention and support."

He continued, stating that despite COVID-19, Korea's exports have recently shown double-digit growth rates, and companies and the government are working together to create new opportunities; however, they are now facing new challenges such as a shortage of shipping space and a sharp rise in maritime freight rates. He said, "Let us work together with shipping companies and shippers to overcome this crisis and make this an opportunity to upgrade our economy through export expansion."

Earlier, on the 10th, Chairman Koo proposed active government support and logistics cost budget assistance during a meeting with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. KITA stated that it is striving to support SMEs in securing shipping space through the 'Comprehensive Export-Import Logistics Support Center.'

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