KOTRA Holds Expo in Japan to Support South Korea's ICT Exports

55 Promising Domestic ICT Companies Participate

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) will hold the 18th "2023 Korea ICT Expo in Japan" in Tokyo, Japan, for two days starting from the 29th to expand exports of promising domestic information and communication technology (ICT) companies to Japan and to promote digital transformation (DX) cooperation between Korea and Japan. A total of 55 promising domestic ICT companies in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and smart farms will participate in this event.

KOTRA is collaborating with the Software Industry Association, Naver Cloud, and Technopark to conduct the expo. The event will showcase domestic companies' ICT products and services and hold one-on-one export and investment attraction consultations with leading Japanese companies such as SoftBank, NTT, and NEC. About 400 business consultations are expected. In the domestic 5G sector, company T plans to conclude a delivery contract worth $3.7 million with a Japanese company on site.

A forum and seminars for expanding bilateral DX cooperation and sharing strategies for entering the Japanese market will also be held. The "DX Forum," co-hosted with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), will be attended by 200 people including Japanese companies and government and institutional officials, who will listen to presentations by ICT experts from both Korea and Japan. Three domestic companies, including the generative AI company Lytton Technologies, will introduce successful DX cases.

In Japan, the Digital Agency, established under the Prime Minister's Office in 2021, is promoting a government-wide DX transformation slogan and advancing the distribution of the "My Number Card," which is similar to Korea’s resident registration number, along with improvements in digital administrative services. Local governments at various levels are also conducting DX proof-of-concept (PoC) projects that integrate technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) into services. Foreign companies can participate in these local government demonstrations, providing a good opportunity for domestic ICT companies to enter the Japanese market.

Jung Woo-young, head of KOTRA’s Innovation Growth Division, said, "There is a need to respond to Japan’s expanding DX demand," adding, "We will promote projects such as supporting our companies’ participation in Japanese ICT demonstrations, supporting ICT project orders through consortium formation, and partnering with major Japanese ICT companies." KOTRA plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the 30th with the Okinawa IT Innovation Strategy Center, a Japanese ICT support organization, to expand support for ICT startups in both countries.

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