Gyeongbuk Province Economic Delegation Achieves $3.7 Million Export Contract in Vietnam

Donation of Rice Milling Machine to Cambodia

Lee Dal-hee, Southeast Asia Sales Diplomacy

Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 15th that from the 8th to the 13th of this month, an exchange and economic delegation led by Deputy Governor of Economy Idalhee was dispatched to Vietnam and Cambodia, successfully concluding export contracts worth 3.7 million USD.

The Gyeongbuk exchange and economic delegation conducted market development activities such as export consultation meetings for excellent companies and seafood promotion events during this visit. They also held exchange and cooperation meetings with government officials from Vietnam and Cambodia, engaged in overseas manpower recruitment activities, provided medical volunteer support, and held a rice milling machine donation event.

Lee Dal-hee, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongbuk Province (first on the left), is conducting export consultations in Vietnam.

On the 8th, at the Lotte Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a total of 108 export consultations were held between local buyers and representatives from 18 companies including Silarian-affiliated Punggi Specialty Agricultural Cooperative Corporation (red ginseng products, Yeongju), Wellbeing Bio (black garlic concentrate, Uiseong), Chammi Food Company (instant products, Chilgok), and seafood company Sung Jin Whole Food (dried seafood, Yeongdeok), resulting in export contracts worth 3.7 million USD.

On the 9th, the delegation visited Daeyoung Electronics Vina (located in Ho Chi Minh City) and Kresin (located in Bac Ninh), Vietnamese enterprises, to discuss business matters and encourage local employees.

They also visited a seafood promotion event held at K-market SSR store, operated by a local entrepreneur serving as an overseas advisor for Gyeongbuk Province, where they conducted promotional and sales activities together with Gyeongbuk overseas advisors and members of the Ho Chi Minh Daegu-Gyeongbuk Business Association.

In particular, during this visit, Deputy Governor of Economy Idalhee pursued extensive sales diplomacy with Southeast Asian local governments and held exchange meetings to promote mutual cooperation in various fields.

Starting with a meeting on the 9th with Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, followed by Nguyen Thanh Hai, Party Secretary of Thai Nguyen Province on the 10th, and Dao Quang Khai, Vice Governor of Bac Ninh Province on the 11th.

On the 12th, they met with Suos Yara, Cambodian Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Khoun Khundy, Cambodian Senator, exchanging views on mutual cooperation.

They discussed expanding economic, trade, cultural, and tourism exchanges, student exchanges, attracting outstanding university students, establishing Saemaul (New Village) departments, and expanding human resource exchanges including industrial manpower. They also agreed to expand mutual cooperation in various fields such as sister city agreements, revitalization projects for Bonghwa Vietnam Village, and Saemaul projects.

On the 12th, Deputy Governor of Economy Idalhee and his delegation presented a Cambodian national music recording produced by Gyeongbuk Province to Heng Sophady, President of the Royal University of Fine Arts in Cambodia, and then held a donation ceremony of 10 rice milling machines targeting three rural provinces in Cambodia at the Gyeongbuk Phnom Penh Cultural Exchange Center.

The Gyeongbuk Province Economic Delegation, led by Vice Governor Lee Dal-hee (first from the left), is promoting Gyeongbuk apples in Cambodia.

Through this rice milling machine donation ceremony, Gyeongbuk Province expects that beyond the Cambodian Saemaul pilot village project, it will provide practical help to village residents, strengthen agricultural productivity in Cambodian regions, and promote exchange and cooperation between the two countries and regions.

Deputy Governor of Economy Idalhee emphasized, “It was because of the Saemaul Movement that started in Gyeongbuk Province that South Korea became a developed country and grew from a recipient to a donor country. The beginning of the Saemaul Movement is about residents themselves creating prosperous villages. When I change, my family changes, the village changes, and ultimately the nation changes.”

He added, “The success of the Cambodian Saemaul Movement was possible due to active government support and voluntary participation of residents. I hope they continue to take pride and make sustained efforts to create a new image of Cambodia.”

The Gyeongbuk medical volunteer team in Cambodia conducted local volunteer activities at Kampong Thom Provincial Hospital in Cambodia from the 10th for 4 nights and 6 days under the slogan “Heart Delivered with Love, Healthy Cambodia.” This overseas medical volunteer team consisted of a large group of 104 members including 71 doctors, dentists, oriental medicine doctors, and nurses, 10 pharmacists, 20 members from the Gyeongbuk Volunteer Center, and 3 support personnel.

They provided high-quality medical treatment and clinical pathology tests in 14 departments including internal medicine, surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, and ophthalmology, offering various medical benefits to medically underserved areas in Cambodia.

The medical volunteer team also held academic seminars for local medical staff to share Korea’s excellent medical technology and donated endoscopic equipment, ophthalmic tonometers, microscopes, dental chairs, air conditioners, and other equipment to improve the medical environment at Kampong Thom Provincial Hospital.

Additionally, scholarships were awarded to five outstanding students from the Korean Language Department of the Royal University of Phnom Penh who greatly assisted with interpretation and other volunteer activities.

Notably, the Cambodian overseas medical volunteer service, which began in 2013 and marked its 10th session this year, has treated a total of 26,000 Cambodian patients. Even during periods when visits to Cambodia were difficult due to COVID-19, the team maintained ties by delivering quarantine and medical supplies.

Deputy Governor Idalhee, who participated in the volunteer activities, encouraged the members by saying, “I thank the volunteers who have practiced sharing their talents through medical volunteer activities over the past 10 years and the organizations that have supported them materially and spiritually.”

On the 13th, the Gyeongbuk delegation visited Korean companies K-GROUND and KIM MART operating in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to discuss expanding exports of Gyeongbuk agricultural specialties such as apples, dried squid, and Andong salted mackerel, and held meetings with advisors and local entrepreneurs.

Deputy Governor of Economy Idalhee of Gyeongbuk Province stated, “Taking this visit to Vietnam and Cambodia as an opportunity, we will further spread the Korean Wave in Southeast Asia and utilize it as a chance to increase exports. Through increased exchanges such as attracting university students and outstanding talent, industrial manpower cooperation, and the Bonghwa Vietnam Village revitalization project, we hope to expand cooperation between local governments and broaden exchanges in various fields including economy, human exchange, culture, tourism, and medical cooperation.”

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