K-One Team Steps Up to Support Export Companies in Trade and Risk Management

KOTRA and MSS Launch On-site Training Tour for Export Companies
Sharing Proactive Strategies to Address Tariffs, Exchange Rates, and Trade Environment Changes
Full-scale Efforts to Bridge the Information Gap for Regional SMEs

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (hereinafter KOTRA) and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (hereinafter MSS), together with the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Korea Customs Service, will hold a "U.S. Trade Policy Trends and Response Strategies On-site Training." The so-called "K-One Team" is stepping up to enhance the responsiveness of export companies across six regions in Korea to the changing export and trade environment.

Recently, the U.S.-centered trend toward protectionism and the strengthening of tariff and non-tariff barriers, as well as the growing uncertainty in the global trade environment caused by the Middle East war, have increased exchange rate volatility. As a result, export companies are now required to go beyond simply responding to foreign exchange losses, and must secure capabilities in foreign exchange risk management, including contract structure, settlement currency, and procurement methods. The global stature of K-brands is rising, leading to more cases of intellectual property (IP) infringement, such as trademark preemption and distribution of counterfeit goods, making it necessary to take preemptive action in this area as well.

This training program was prepared to enhance the capacity of regional companies, which have relatively less access to information, to respond to trade risks and to invigorate export activities. Starting on May 15 in Changwon, Gyeongnam (at the Gyeongnam Regional Office of MSS), the program will be held sequentially in six regions, including Daejeon, Incheon, Chuncheon, and Busan, until June 25. Around 50 export companies and related organizations from each region will participate, and the program will be tailored to the demand and industrial characteristics of each region to maximize the effectiveness of the export and trade education.

In addition to on-site training, export consulting will also be provided. During the training sessions, key issues raised by companies regarding tariffs, exchange rates, and IP will be identified, and KOTRA's Overseas Expansion Consulting Center will offer one-on-one expert consultations to solve them. Furthermore, in the event of any extraordinary situations, such as sudden changes in U.S. tariff policy, emergency webinars will be promptly organized in collaboration with the regional offices of MSS to ensure timely support.

Ahn Youngjoo, Vice President and Head of the AI Trade and Investment Division at KOTRA, said, "We have planned this on-site training in partnership with related organizations to directly reach out to regional SMEs that may otherwise be left behind by rapidly changing trade environments." She added, "We will continue to make various efforts to strengthen the on-site response capabilities of companies located in regional areas."

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