Venue of the 23rd World Korean Business Congress
Kim Ki-moon, Chairman of the Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises
Ahead of next month’s event in Atlanta, USA
Visited the venue and inspected the site in advance
Invited the head of the US Small and Medium Business Administration to the main event
Commerce ministers from more than 10 states will attend
“We will actively promote the importance of bilateral cooperation”

The 23rd World Korean Business Congress (WBC), a gathering of Korean businessmen from around the world, is scheduled to take place in Atlanta, U.S., next month from Nov. 17-20, and Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises (KSSE), visited the site to check the preparations. Kim plans to invite officials, including U.S. Small Business Administration Director Kelly Leffler, to the convention to seek cooperation in resolving difficulties faced by Korean SMEs related to the high tariff policies of Donald Trump’s second administration.

According to the KCC on Tuesday, Kim visited the Gass South Convention Center in Atlanta on Nov. 18-19 to inspect the preparations for the 23rd World Korean Business Congress. Kim was accompanied by more than 20 officials from the host and organizing organizations, including Lee Kyung-chul, president of the Federation of Korean American Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Kim Min-cheol, director of exchange and cooperation at the Korean Overseas Koreans Administration. Chairman Kim reviewed the preparations for key programs, including the opening ceremony, business exhibition, and networking with U.S. federal and state government officials, and discussed detailed action plans for each major event to ensure the success of the event.

The World Korean Business Congress is an annual global economic event aimed at strengthening the network of Korean businessmen around the world through exchanges and helping Korean SMEs expand overseas. This year’s event will be organized by the Federation of Korean American Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Overseas Korean Association, the Korea Economic Daily, MBN, and the Federation of Korean American Chambers of Commerce and Industry under the slogan, “Leap into the Han Sang Economic Zone, Go to the World with Korea, Go to the Future!

Kim will serve as the official chairman of the event after serving as honorary chairman at the 21st edition in Anaheim, California, in 2023. This is the first time that a Korean businessman or mid-term chairman of the Federation has served as the president of the World Korean Business Congress. Kim took on the role as chairman of the convention in order to create opportunities for active exchanges with Korean businessmen around the world and to help Korean SMEs gain a foothold in overseas markets. “Last year, Korea’s exports ranked sixth in the world, and more than 40 percent of those exports came from SME products,” said Kim. ”We will use this convention as an opportunity to showcase the excellent products of our SMEs to the world and expand exports.”

This year’s World Korean Business Congress will feature more than 400 booths of outstanding Korean SME products such as K-beauty and food. It also plans to support export market development by utilizing the K-Biz network and business matching with buyers from large US retailers such as Walmart and Costco.

Kim also plans to use the event as a venue for private diplomacy to secure the competitiveness of domestic SMEs in exporting to the U.S. in the face of U.S. tariff policies. The recently announced 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum and the reciprocal tariffs on 21 countries scheduled to be announced on the 2nd of next month are expected to have a major impact on domestic SMEs that export directly to the U.S. or supply large U.S. exporters.

“We will meet with federal officials, including Commissioner Leffler, and state economic officials, including Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, to convey the plight of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises due to the high tariff policy of the United States,” Kim said, adding, ”We also plan to actively inform them of the importance and expected effects of bilateral economic cooperation between the United States and Korea.”

Leffler, who was sworn in last month, is one of the key figures in President Donald Trump’s second-term administration, serving as the head of his inaugural transition committee. Commerce secretaries from at least six U.S. states have announced their intentions to attend the convention, and up to 15 to 20 states are expected to participate.

By Yoon Sik Lee (leeyunsik@mk.co.kr)

**Original Article:

https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/009/0005462296?sid=101