Kim Dong-yeon Signs Agreement to Host the '27th World Korean Business Convention' in Suwon This October

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (left) is attending the opening ceremony of the 24th World Representatives Conference hosted by the World Korean Trade Association in Tokyo, Japan, on the 18th (local time), taking a commemorative photo with Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun (right) and others.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon signed an agreement to host the 27th World Korean Business Convention of the World-OKTA, the largest overseas Korean economic organization, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

If confirmed, around 1,000 OKTA members and businesspeople will visit Suwon in October when the convention is held.

On the 18th (local time), Governor Kim attended the opening ceremony of the 24th World Representatives Convention hosted by World-OKTA at the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, where he signed three agreements with World-OKTA Chairman Jang Young-sik: ▲hosting the 27th World Korean Business Convention in Gyeonggi Province (Suwon City), ▲export support partnership, and ▲business cooperation on the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder program.

According to the agreement, Gyeonggi Province, Suwon City, and World-OKTA will jointly promote the 27th World Korean Business Convention to be held in October.

World-OKTA is expected to officially announce the next host location on the 20th of this month, with the Suwon Convention Center likely to be the venue. The World Korean Business Convention is an international event where World-OKTA members worldwide, domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, and related organizations gather, featuring export consultation sessions and overseas market entry briefings.

Alongside this, the province will utilize World-OKTA’s global network to support export promotion projects and resolve corporate difficulties, while World-OKTA will cooperate in leveraging networks related to youth opportunity programs such as the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder program run by Gyeonggi Province. Both organizations will also discover and implement cooperative projects related to youth support and employment and startup initiatives.

In his congratulatory speech, Governor Kim said, "World Korean businesspeople have the resilience to wisely overcome past economic crises. Although the world is now facing an economic crisis of a different dimension than before, I believe you will continue to lead the development of our country’s economy as you have done so far." He introduced, "Gyeonggi Province is striving to create a future full of opportunities as a 'Gyeonggi sought by the world' and a 'Gyeonggi where global companies expect growth.'"

He also stated, "Gyeonggi Province intends to assist in hosting the 2030 Busan Expo, a national event," and requested, "Korean entrepreneurs belonging to OKTA, active in 142 cities across 67 countries, to unite their efforts in supporting the Busan Expo bid."

Meanwhile, Governor Kim opened the event with a keynote speech at the opening ceremony attended by about 1,000 people, including World-OKTA members, domestic small and medium-sized enterprises hoping to expand overseas, members of the National Assembly, and related organizations.

Under the theme "Breaking Taboos in Korea," Governor Kim emphasized the need to break the taboos of the catch-up economy, hereditary society, and vested political interests. He stressed moving away from the catch-up model of advanced countries to foster startups and nurture future growth industries, breaking the "iron rice bowl" and exclusivism to create social mobility ladders, and changing the winner-takes-all structure in politics.

Founded in 1981, the World-OKTA is a corporation with 142 chapters in 67 countries, comprising about 7,000 regular members and 26,000 next-generation members. The organization aims to strengthen networks among members to build a global Korean economic community and contribute to promoting trade and overseas market entry for the homeland.

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