Korea Importers Association Discusses Expanding Trade with Uzbekistan

Korean import companies also raised their challenges.

The Korea Importers Association said on the 11th that it met with Tanzila Narbaeva, chairperson of Uzbekistan’s Senate, at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the 10th to discuss ways to expand trade between the two countries and challenges faced by Korean import companies.

Chairperson Narbaeva expressed her gratitude for the Korea Importers Association’s dispatch of a purchasing delegation comprising Korean companies to Uzbekistan in August. She also explained that Uzbekistan is diversifying its exports beyond agricultural raw materials to include agricultural and food products, manufactured goods, and services.

Yoon Youngmi, president of the Korea Importers Association, and Tanzila Narbayeva, chairperson of the Senate of Uzbekistan, discuss ways to expand bilateral trade and challenges facing Korean importers at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the 10th. Korea Importers Association

Yoon Youngmi, president of the Korea Importers Association, said the purchasing delegation’s visit in August confirmed the potential for Uzbek agricultural and food products to enter the Korean market. However, she explained that high logistics costs stemming from Uzbekistan’s landlocked geography, difficulties in transporting fresh food, and tariff burdens were obstacles to expanding trade.

She proposed measures such as easing the tariff burden on certain agricultural and food products and expanding logistics cost support for Uzbek exporters. She also stressed the need for institutional arrangements to support Uzbek products’ entry into the Korean market and ease the trade imbalance between the two countries. Korean import companies attending the meeting also raised challenges specific to their respective sectors.

The two sides agreed to expand exchanges in the economic and cultural fields, taking advantage of the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Uzbekistan in 2027 and the “Year of Culture and Mutual Exchange.”

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