○ Gyeonggi Province to hold online export conference from September 1–18 for ASEAN DAY 2020
○ Participation by 75 companies from 8 ASEAN member states, including Thailand, in the export conference as buyers, and meetings with 120 SMEs in Gyeonggi Province
– Interpretation services in multiple languages including English, Lao, Vietnamese and Thai
– Conference held online for participants to join from their offices or homes in accordance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines

Gyeonggi Province is continuing the pursuit of its New Southern Policy through contact-free online export consultation and export diversification. Gyeonggi Province provides its full support so that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Gyeonggi Province that have been struggling due to COVID-19 can develop the ASEAN markets.

Gyeonggi Province will hold an online export conference for ASEAN DAY 2020 via the Digital Trade Lounge on the first floor of the R&DB Center in Gwanggyo Techno Valley from September 1 to 18.

The export conference promotes export diversification by SMEs in Gyeonggi Province and mitigates the decline in exports due to COVID-19. Approximately 120 SMEs in Gyeonggi Province will have one-on-one export business meetings with pre-matched buyers.

Seventy-five buyers from 8 ASEAN member states, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, are slated to participate in the online export conference. Major exports include 7 types of products for which demand has been increasing since the onset of COVID-19 (home appliances for hygiene, clothing, dietary supplements, hygiene products, at-home beauty devices, home cooking appliances and digital equipment).

During the export conference, interpretation services will be provided for participating companies in a number of languages, including English, Lao, Vietnamese and Thai.

Participating companies’ information and product catalogs will be posted on Gyeonggi Province’s website, social media accounts and YouTube channel so that buyers can review products in advance and focus on import matters, instead of solely on the products, during the export conference.

In full compliance with COVID-19 prevention practices based on Korea’s level 2 social distancing guidelines, the export conference has been extended to two weeks so as to minimize human contact and ensure a safe environment.

In addition, Gyeonggi Province will undertake appropriate arrangements so that SMEs can participate in meetings from the office or home as well as through the Digital Trade Lounge, if needed.

Gyeonggi Province Assistant Governor for Economy Ryu Gwang-yeol said, “We will strictly follow COVID-19 prevention guidelines even at individual booths so as to prevent damage from the disease. Gyeonggi Province will do its utmost to help struggling SMEs by providing customized support.”

In July and August, the Gyeonggi-do Digital Trade Lounge was the venue of the 2020 G-Trade GBC Online Export Conference. One-hundred foreign buyers and 224 Gyeonggi Province SMEs participated in the conference, during which 420 export consultation meetings were held.

Poled (pronounced po-led), a child car seat manufacturer based in Seongnam City, had an export meeting with a Thai company “E,” which sells and trades used cars and strollers. As a result of the export consultation, Poled reached an agreement to export its car seats and car accessories to Thailand.