KOTRA and DHL Korea Sign Agreement on Discounted International Express Shipping Rates to Support Cross-Border E-Commerce Exports

First Public Institution to Offer DHL B2C Rate Discounts
Expected to Boost Small-Quantity, Multiple-Shipment Cross-Border Exports
Establishment of Export Logistics Collaboration Network

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and DHL Korea announced on October 20 that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote cross-border e-commerce exports at the DHL Korea Incheon Gateway.

Headquarters of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). KOTRA

Cross-border e-commerce refers to a trade model in which domestic sellers or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sell products directly to overseas consumers through e-commerce platforms. This sector has seen rapid growth recently alongside the development of e-commerce. According to KOTRA, the number of export transactions conducted via e-commerce increased by about 20%, from 28.89 million in June last year to 34.55 million in June this year.

Through this agreement, KOTRA will offer SMEs and mid-sized companies discounted DHL B2C express shipping rates. KOTRA member companies can use business-to-consumer (B2C) services at a 63-77% discount and business-to-business (B2B) services at a 50-60% discount.

KOTRA has also set a goal to lower the barriers for SMEs that have hesitated to export due to high logistics costs, especially for "small-quantity, multiple-shipment" exports, and to expand the cross-border e-commerce export ecosystem by connecting various overseas expansion support programs. The "KOTRA Export Logistics Collaboration Network" service, which includes DHL Korea's logistics fee discounts, is available for application starting today on the KOTRA Trade Investment 24 website.

Han Jiheon, CEO of DHL Korea, stated, "It is very meaningful to be able to support the overseas expansion of domestic SMEs and mid-sized companies through this agreement with KOTRA. We will fully leverage DHL Korea's capabilities and infrastructure to support companies' successful global expansion."

Kang Kyungsung, President of KOTRA, said, "To respond to changes in the new trade environment and support diversification in export methods including cross-border e-commerce, we have established the 'KOTRA Export Logistics Collaboration Network' with specialized organizations and companies. This business agreement with DHL Korea is also part of our efforts to provide comprehensive export logistics support. By improving the high logistics cost structure, we expect this will be of great help to SME exports and vitalize cross-border e-commerce exports."

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