Yoon Jin-sik, New Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, "Mobilizing All Capabilities to Increase Exports"

Official Inauguration at Today's General Meeting
Interview with Our Newspaper... "Will Improve Export Concentration"
Former Industry Minister... Expansion of Executive Board Expected

Yoon Jin-sik, the newly appointed chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), expressed his ambition, stating, "Our top priority is to increase the country's exports, and we will mobilize all human and material resources of the association to achieve this goal."

Yoon Jin-sik, the new chairman of the Korea International Trade Association. Photo by Asia Economy DB

Chairman Yoon, who took office on the 27th, emphasized in a phone interview with Asia Economy before the regular general meeting held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, that morning, "The government is prioritizing the expansion of the export base and increasing exports," adding, "We will also follow this trend."

He stressed, "Currently, our export structure and items are quite unstable as they are limited to specific regions and countries," and added, "We will also work hard to improve this in the mid to long term."

Through the regular general meeting on the same day, Yoon succeeded former chairman Koo Ja-yeol as the new head of KITA. His term is three years. Previously, on the 16th, KITA held consecutive meetings of the chairman group and the board of directors and resolved to put forward Yoon's appointment to the general meeting. This agenda was passed at the meeting. Yoon is the first administrative official to become chairman in three years since former chairman Kim Young-joo (30th term).

In the context of an increasingly uncertain global trade environment, Chairman Yoon carries a heavy responsibility. Especially given that protectionism could intensify depending on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, the role of the trade association chairman is considered even more crucial.

Yoon said, "Since KITA is a private organization, I think we need to find and actively carry out tasks that the government cannot do," and added, "I believe that the human network I built through my legislative activities in the government and the National Assembly will be a great help in my role as chairman."

He entered public service in 1972 by passing the 12th Administrative Examination and has held positions such as Director of the International Finance Bureau at the Ministry of Finance, Presidential Economic Secretary and Policy Chief, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, Vice Minister of Finance and Economy, and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. He also served as a member of the 18th and 19th National Assembly. During President Yoon Seok-yeol’s transition period, he served as a special advisor to the transition committee. Because of this, the business community regards Chairman Yoon as a suitable person who can lead KITA while closely communicating with the current government.

In the business community, there is speculation that the KITA chairman group will expand with Yoon’s inauguration. Currently, the KITA chairman group consists of 37 members, including Koo Ja-yong, chairman of E1; Seung Myung-ho, chairman of Dongwha Group; Song Ho-geun, chairman of YG One; Lee Hwi-ryeong, vice chairman of SeAH Steel; and Hwang Cheol-ju, chairman of Juseong Engineering.

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