Yoon Jin-sik, Chairman of Muhyeop, Engages in European Outreach with Semiconductor and Bio CEOs

Chairman Yoon and KITA Executive Board Visit EU Commission and Parliament
Convey Concerns on Regulations Including Forest Conversion Prevention and Battery Rules

Yoon Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), flew to Brussels, Belgium, where the European Union (EU) headquarters is located, to conduct comprehensive outreach activities targeting key political and business figures in the EU. He actively communicated with Europe, conveying industry concerns regarding forest land conversion prevention and battery-related regulations.

Yoon Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, and the executive team are taking a commemorative photo after a meeting with Patrick Anthony Child, Deputy Director-General of the Environment Directorate-General at the European Union (EU) Executive Commission.
From the left: Han Sang-min, CEO of Han Youngnox; Park Young-woo, CEO of Exicon; Chairman Yoon Jin-sik; Deputy Director-General Child; Oh Seok-song, Chairman of Meta Biomed; Park Yong-seok, CEO of Daeju Autotech.
[Photo by Korea International Trade Association]

KITA announced on the 24th that Chairman Yoon visited Brussels for two days starting on the 23rd (local time) and met with the EU Commission, Parliament, and BusinessEurope. Accompanying him were KITA board members including Oh Seok-song, Chairman of Meta Biomed, Han Sang-min, CEO of Han Young Nux, Park Young-woo, CEO of Exicon, and Park Yong-seok, CEO of Daeju Autotech.

The delegation held a meeting the previous day with Patrick Anthony Child, Deputy Director-General of the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment. They conveyed corporate opinions on the EU’s proposed Forest Land Conversion Regulation (EUDR), as well as battery-related regulations such as carbon footprint, supply chain due diligence, and waste battery recycling.

The EUDR is a bill that imposes supply chain due diligence obligations on companies within Europe that produce, distribute, or import products related to deforestation. Although the EUDR is scheduled to be implemented by the end of the year, the EU Commission has yet to disclose the necessary information for companies to comply with the regulations, causing difficulties for the tire and finished vehicle export industries.

Deputy Director-General Child stated, "Korea is a key ally that significantly contributes to securing green transition industrial capabilities within the EU. If you comprehensively convey the difficulties Korean companies face due to EU trade measures, we will strive to reflect them in future policy-making and the design of detailed guidelines."

On the same day, Chairman Yoon met with Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a member of the EU Parliament’s International Trade Committee. He urged special attention during the policy design and implementation stages to ensure that key allies like Korea do not suffer unintended harm from EU trade regulations. He shared the administrative burdens faced by local companies due to recent EU regulatory tightening and called for the EU Parliament’s interest in the matter.

Chairman Yoon said, "I consider it very meaningful to expand trade response activities (outreach), which have so far been centered on the United States, to Europe. Wherever our companies are in the world, we will actively visit and strive to resolve their difficulties."

Meanwhile, KITA plans to open a new office in Warsaw, Poland, on the 26th and expand support activities for Korean companies operating in Europe.

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