World Korean Business Convention (WKBC) held a successful 4-day event in Anaheim, California from October 11-14 with many thousands of leaders, and Global Chamber® was pleased to support the success by bringing targeted leaders and companies to meetup strategically with the 500+ companies from South Korea looking to connect and grow in the U.S. and other countries.
Connect to some of the organizing leaders and read more HERE.
WKBC was previously known as "Hansang", and it kicked off 23 years ago with participants from more than 28 countries. In 2023 welcome to the first WKBC outside S. Korea! It was spectacular!
A total of 535 businesses and local governments presented 650 exhibition booths, and through one-on-one business meetings and the Korean Business Consultation Program, they achieved an export consultation of $570.26 million. Read more... 세계한인비즈니스대회 역대급 성과…5억7천만弗 수출상담 HERE and translated below in English.
The Convention has grown each year to become the largest Korean business convention in the world, averaging approximately 3000 participants from about 60 countries each year. For 22 years, the Convention has played a pivotal role in lifting small to mid-sized Korean businesses into the global marketplace and bridging interactions between domestic and overseas Korean businesses. This has opened doors of opportunity for companies around the world.
Read more HERE about the partnership between WKBC and Global Chamber.
Background
Through K-pop, K-food, K-drama, and K-movies, the world has already experienced the effects of the creative minds of Korean entrepreneurs. The World Korean Business Convention will further ride this K-wave in hopes of leaving a lasting mark, here in Orange County and throughout the USA.
The Overseas Koreans Agency (“OKA”), an affiliate of Korean Foreign Ministry has launched WKBC, together with Overseas Koreans Economic Organizations (“OKEO”). The 21st WKBC, being held in the US for the first time, will also be co-hosted by the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of USA (“KACCUSA”), through its local Orange County affiliate, Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (“KACCOC”).
The Convention has been held annually in South Korea since 2002 to 2022. On its 21st year, WKBC will be held outside of Korea for the first time, starting with California, USA. As WKBC ventures outside Korea, it hopes to stamp its impact abroad and facilitate dialogue with non-Korean businesses.
Ongoing
Anyone interested in Korean business is welcome - whether you were able to attend or not. Connect with Mi Jeong Hibbitts of Global Chamber® as well who had a key role in the matching opportunities between Korean and US firms.
Hyegeun Park - Global Chamber®
ps. Article linked to above, in English.
The 21st World Korean Business Convention (World Korean Business Convention) held for the first time overseas in the United States has achieved its largest success to date, according to the Overseas Korean Community Administration (Director Lee Ki-chul).
Held from October 11 to 14 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County, California, under the theme "With the Korea-U.S. Business Alliance, A Bigger Us," this year's convention set new records with the largest number of participants, including major corporations and the largest export consultation amount.
A total of 7,825 businesspeople from 31 countries attended, marking the largest participation to date. The event saw participation from major corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, POSCO, and E-Mart, expanding its scale.
Fifteen local governments, including Incheon, Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Jeju, participated, and the range of participating industries diversified from trade and commerce to finance, environment, culture, and smart sectors.
A total of 535 businesses and local governments presented 650 exhibition booths, and through one-on-one business meetings and the Korean Business Consultation Program, they achieved an export consultation of $570.26 million.
The event also saw the participation of local businesses and organizations, including the U.S. Small Business Development Center, Los Angeles, Anaheim, New York, and Arkansas, discussing the expansion of business exchanges between Korean companies and local businesses and organizations.
Director Lee Ki-chul stated, "We achieved the largest results ever, including expanding the outreach of the Korean business network and laying the foundation for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises to pioneer overseas markets. We will continuously support the substantive transformation of business consultations by domestic small and medium-sized enterprises."
The convention was supported by the Overseas Korean Community Administration, the Federation of Korean-American Entrepreneurs, the Small and Medium Business Administration, the Orange County Korean-American Entrepreneurs Association... and the Global Chamber®.
Global Chamber® is a growing and collaborating community of CEOs, executives, and leaders in 525 metro regions around the world... connecting member businesses to new opportunities and advancing growth and success. It's the only chamber of commerce in the world operating in hundreds of locations that helps exporting, importing and investing members to connect through warm introductions to clients, partners, projects, and resources. When you're a member of Global Chamber®, you're a member everywhere, and business anywhere in the world becomes safer and easier to manage.
Global Chamber® is a registered trademark of Global Chamber, LLC since 2014.
Originally published at https://www.globalchamber.org/blog/2023/10/16/global-chamber/world-korean-business-convention-wkbc-successfully-held-in-anaheim/
