Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute Promotes "Korean Express Customs Clearance Model"

Participation in the "WCO Technology Conference & Exhibition 2026"

The Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute is delivering a presentation on 'Strengthening Data Linkage and Enhancing Interoperability Using the WCO Data Model.' (Photo by Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute)

The Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute participated in the "WCO Technology Conference & Exhibition 2026" hosted by the World Customs Organization (WCO), where it operated an exhibition booth and delivered a breakout session presentation to share real-world application cases of the Korean express customs clearance model.

During the event, the booth of the Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute was visited in succession by the Directors General of Customs from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as senior officials and working-level staff from the customs authorities of Egypt, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkiye, Morocco, Qatar, and several other countries. They asked detailed questions about the scope of building the Korean express customs clearance platform, its phased implementation approach, the system’s operational structure, and on-the-ground application experience.

In particular, the Uzbekistan Customs Administration expressed interest in potential cooperation with the Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute regarding the design of a procedural framework for express cargo customs clearance, the establishment of a data-driven risk management system, and knowledge-sharing and training programs to strengthen customs clearance operational capabilities.

International organizations and the private sector also responded positively. Representatives from UNESCAP, FIATA, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) focused on Korea’s experience in operating e-commerce customs clearance and its public-private partnership-based model amid the rapidly changing customs environment driven by the expansion of e-commerce. In addition, representatives from global companies such as Amazon, Huawei, DP World, and PayPal, as well as Air Cargo Belgium, which represents the cargo community of Brussels Airport in Belgium, visited the booth to exchange views on ways to strengthen data linkage, automate risk management, and enhance interoperability between customs systems.

The Director General of the Uzbekistan Customs Service and Lee Gapsu, Head of Logistics at the Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute, are posing in front of an exhibition booth. (Photo provided by Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute)

In addition, the Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute gave a presentation in a breakout session under the theme of "Strengthening Data Linkage and Enhancing Interoperability Using the WCO Data Model." The presentation highlighted the data linkage architecture accumulated in the Korean express customs clearance sector and the application cases of the institute’s own patented solution, the Express Cargo Integrated Management System (Patent No. 10-2807891, registered on May 9, 2025). It emphasized the importance of standards-based data linkage and interoperability in the e-commerce customs clearance environment, which was well received by the attendees.

Lee Gapsu, Head of Logistics at the Korea Customs and Trade Development Institute, said, "This technology conference served as an opportunity to demonstrate to the international community that the Korean express customs clearance model is not just a theoretical concept but a proven operational model in actual customs clearance environments," adding, "We plan to prioritize countries that showed strong interest during the event, continue working-level, practice-oriented discussions, and gradually pursue tailored follow-up consultations and cooperation measures that meet each country’s systems and needs."

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