“Mobilize my global connections”… Actor Jung Joon-ho is in ‘serious mode’ to help small businesses
Actor Jung Joon-ho appointed as ambassador of the World Korean Business Congress
Managing distribution, apparel, wedding, and entertainment companies
Operated K-Town in Malaysia and exported K-food
“I’ve been in business, so I know the pain points of mid-career”

“I’ve been in business myself and helped export, so I know the pain points of small and medium-sized enterprises. At the 23rd World Korean Business Congress, I will mobilize my global connections to help K SMEs expand overseas.”

Actor Jung Joon-ho, known for his role as “Madangbal” in the entertainment industry as well as the political and business world, has been appointed as an ambassador for the World Korean Business Congress, which will be held in Atlanta, U.S., from May 17 to 20. In an interview with Maeil Business on Oct. 31, Jung emphasized that now is the perfect time for Korean SMEs to expand overseas as K-culture is loved by people around the world.

“I was worried about the poor domestic economy, but when Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, suggested that I become an ambassador for the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, I immediately accepted,” Jung said. Chung’s relationship with the organization goes back to 2023-2024, when she was the face of the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid Society.

Mr. Chung is also an entrepreneur himself, running several businesses. He runs four businesses, including live e-commerce company WorldTalkTalk, as well as golf apparel, entertainment, and weddings.

“I won the distribution rights for Omogari Kimchi Stew Ramen in Korea and brokered sales in Europe and Africa, and I also sold Korean SME products to China in the form of live e-commerce,” explains Jung. ”In Malaysia, I run K-Town in partnership with local company Hatton Group, and I am also working with Korean small businesses to create concept stores in Bukchon and Dongdaemun markets.”

Chung’s connections are both local and international. “When people I know from abroad come to Korea, I take them on tours and give them lots of gifts on their way back home,” he says, ”and they are so grateful, and when I visit their country later, they give back more than I did in Korea.” “Being an actor, it’s easy for me to meet business people both domestically and internationally,” Chung said, adding, ”I have business connections all over the world, whether it’s in the U.S. or Mongolia.”

“I have business contacts all over the world, including in the U.S. and Mongolia,” said Chung, who has also utilized his connections to connect domestic SMEs with overseas buyers when he was an ambassador for the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid Society. “This time, I will not just be an ambassador, but I will also use my overseas connections to provide practical help to domestic SMEs,” he said.

The World Korean Business Congress is a global economic event that brings together Korean-Americans from around the world and helps Korean small and medium-sized enterprises expand overseas, and this year’s event will be held at the Gass South Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., from April 17-20.

The business exhibition will feature more than 400 booths of outstanding SMEs, including K-beauty, food, and household products. The event is co-organized by the Korea Economic Daily-MBN, the Korean Overseas Korean Association, the General Federation of Korean American Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

*Reporter Yoon Sik Lee (leeyunsik@mk.co.kr)

**Original Article: “Mobilizing all my connections around the world”…Madangbal actor Jung Joon-ho is in ‘sincere mode’ to help SMEs