Exports Near $1 Trillion... KOTRA to Hold Nationwide Roadshow Briefings

Briefings in 12 regions nationwide in November and December
Information for small and mid-sized businesses
From overseas expansion strategies to responses to trade regulations

As the country is expected to surpass $1 trillion in exports for the first time, becoming the world’s fourth-largest exporter to do so, nationwide roadshow briefings will be held to extend export growth to regional businesses.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said on November 11 that it will hold “Traveling Regional Briefings” in 12 regions across the country over the next two months, through December, in cooperation with the Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) and other relevant local organizations.

The briefings are designed to provide export know-how and the latest overseas market information to small businesses and microbusinesses facing export challenges, as well as regional small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies. The aim is to support regional companies’ overseas expansion and identify new exporters as the country enters the $1 trillion export era.

The briefings will be held sequentially in 12 regions nationwide, starting in Daegu-Gyeongbuk (Gyeongju) in late October, followed by Jeonbuk, Gangwon and Gyeongnam in November, and Chungbuk, Gwangju-Jeonnam, Incheon, Ulsan, Northern Gyeonggi, Busan, Gyeonggi and Daejeon-Sejong-Chungnam in December. A total of 12 briefings and consulting sessions are planned to support about 600 companies. Linked programs will also reflect each region’s growth-engine industries and the needs of its businesses.

The main programs cover three areas: ▲how small businesses and microbusinesses can use export support programs; ▲overseas market trends and opportunities for entering markets in each region; and ▲responding to global trade regulations and using artificial intelligence (AI) for marketing.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said it will hold the “2026 Second-Half Traveling Regional Briefings” in 12 regions across the country through December, in cooperation with the Small Enterprise and Market Service and other relevant local organizations. The photo shows the Daegu-Gyeongbuk briefing held on October 13. Photo by KOTRA.

In particular, KOTRA will focus on introducing its “Export Hope 1000” program and AI-powered marketing to help small businesses and microbusinesses that primarily serve the domestic market enter overseas markets.

Under “Export Hope 1000,” KOTRA will select 200 regional small businesses and microbusinesses each year through 2030, for a total of 1,000, and provide support including consultations with export specialists, overseas buyer sourcing, participation in export consultation sessions, and logistics and certification assistance.

For AI-powered marketing, KOTRA will explain how businesses can receive support through 20 AI Trade Support Centers nationwide and its Export Assistant system. The system is intended to lower barriers to overseas expansion for regional businesses by supporting every stage of the export process, from producing promotional videos for products to automatically recommending buyers and markets, providing market research reports, conducting social media (SNS) marketing and arranging video consultations.

Companies that have taken part in “Export Hope 1000” and AI-powered export marketing will also share their experiences at the briefings. KOTRA’s roving export specialists will hear about each company’s export challenges and provide one-on-one consulting.

In December, overseas regional headquarters directors will take part in the regional briefings in conjunction with KOTRA’s “Global Market Entry Strategy Briefing Week.” They will share overseas market trends and business opportunities linked to each region’s growth-engine industries, as well as specific market-entry strategies.

Kang Kyung-sung, president of KOTRA, said, “To sustain and build on the momentum of the $1 trillion export era, it is important to expand exports by regional businesses and broaden the use of AI-powered export marketing so that everyone can export. Through these briefings, we will do our utmost to make it easier for regional businesses to access export support services and help them overcome export challenges.”

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