KACCUSA to Host Korean American Business Trade Show in Las Vegas

By Jong-hwan Lee, World Korean Newspaper

SEOUL — The Korean American Chamber of Commerce USA (KACCUSA), led by Chairman Byung-gu Hwang, will host the Korean American Business Trade Show in Las Vegas from August 25 to 27.

The event, which will feature exhibition booths from approximately 200 Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is jointly hosted and organized by KACCUSA and the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ), chaired by Ki-moon Kim.

The trade show will be held in conjunction with ASD Market Week, the largest consumer goods trade show in the United States. The event has historically attracted approximately 2,000 exhibition booths and more than 50,000 buyers annually. KACCUSA planned this trade show based on its experience hosting and organizing the World Korean Business Convention in Orange County in 2023 and Atlanta in 2025.

After hosting the World Korean Business Convention twice in the United States, KACCUSA learned a critical lesson: the importance of attracting qualified buyers. Applying that experience, the organization chose a time and place already filled with genuine business buyers by holding the Korean American Business Trade Show alongside ASD Market Week.

The official name of the ASD consumer goods exhibition is “ASD Market Week.” Established in 1950, it is a B2B wholesale trade show held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event consists of nine specialized sections and attracts online and offline retailers, distributors, and importers seeking new products and business networking opportunities.

In preparation for the trade show, KACCUSA visited the Korea Federation of SMEs and local governments in Korea this past May. KACCUSA Board Chair Mi-kyung Kim accompanied Chairman Byung-gu Hwang during the visit.

“The Korean government and local governments provided extensive support to help Korean SMEs participate in this event. ASD Market Week is a practical gateway and one of the best platforms for Korean SMEs to export their products,” Kim said.

She described the platform as “a game-changing opportunity” and emphasized that the event is positioned for success.

The following is an interview with KACCUSA Board Chair Mi-kyung Kim, conducted recently via video conference.

Q. How many Korean SMEs will participate in the trade show?

“Approximately 150 booths will be operated by Korean SMEs. Additional companies will participate without operating exhibition booths.”

Kim added that SMEs from across Korea applied to participate in hopes of entering the U.S. market, including many members of the Korea Federation of SMEs.

Q. Will there be an opening ceremony?

“The exhibition will take place over three days, from August 25 to 27. On the evening of August 25, the opening day, KACCUSA will host a ‘Korean Night’ event at a local Korean restaurant. The event will include a dinner reception attended by Korea Federation of SMEs Chairman Ki-moon Kim, representatives of participating Korean companies, and members of Korean American chambers of commerce from across the United States. Nevada state government officials and prominent members of the local Korean American community will also attend.”

Kim also noted that a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on the morning of August 25 to officially open the exhibition.

Q. Will KACCUSA hold a general meeting or board meeting during the event?

“No general meeting or board meeting will be held. However, many representatives from KACCUSA and its regional chapters will participate and assist Korean SMEs with booth operations and business consultations.”

Q. What were some of the challenges in preparing for the event?

“We devoted tremendous effort to making this event possible. We visited the exhibition last August and concluded that ASD Market Week was the right trade show for us to partner with. Since then, we have held weekly meetings with ASD organizers for an entire year. This event is the result of those efforts.”

Kim explained that the trade show will differ from events independently hosted and organized by KACCUSA because ASD Market Week has attracted large numbers of American buyers for decades.

“Our SMEs will be able to meet directly with American buyers interested in purchasing their products. We expect many contracts and business agreements to be concluded at the event,” she added.

Following the Las Vegas event, KACCUSA plans to organize a large delegation to participate in the 2026 World Korean Business Convention, scheduled to take place from September 28 to 30 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, Korea.