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KOTRA CONNECTS JOB
SEEKERS WITH MAJOR
FOREIGN-INVESTED
COMPANIES
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From Oct. 12 to 13, the Ministry of
Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and
the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion
Agency (KOTRA) hosted the 12th Job
Fair for Foreign-invested Companies in
Seoul.
Since 2006, the event has offered job
opportunities targeting Korean youth and
helped foreign-invested companies access
Korea’s premier talent pool. This year’s
career fair was comprised of recruitment
seminars by participating companies, as
well as resume-writing and interview
coaching sessions for jobseekers. An estimated 14,000 jobseekers and 136 foreign
companies participated in the
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two-day
event. Included in the rosters were 31
companies from the Fortune Global 500,
including Costco, 3M and Siemens.
KOTRA’s President and CEO Kim
Jaehong noted that foreign-invested companies in Korea take up a big percentage
of national employment. He added that
KOTRA will continue to hold a number
of job fairs throughout the country to help
young Koreans find work in global firms.
The next job fair for foreign companies
will take place on the sidelines of Invest
Korea Week, which will be held in Seoul
from Nov. 7 to 9.
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FOREIGN INVESTORS
AND THEIR FAMILIES GET
AN EXCLUSIVE TOUR OF
OLYMPIC VENUE
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On Oct. 21, Invest KOREA, the national investment promotion arm of KOTRA,
hosted the 24th Get to Know Korea
(GTTK) at Alpensia Olympic Park in
PyeongChang.
The cultural event was attended by 54
people, including foreign correspondents
from NHK and Xinhua, and members of
foreign-invested companies like Solvay
Korea and their families. Foreign public
officials including the Honduras ambassador to Korea also took part in the event.
The group toured major Olympic facilities and learned about
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the investment
environment of Gangwon-do and Korea.
“Just like how the Olympics bolster
national image, I hope this event also
raises awareness of Korea as an attractive
investment destination,” said Yong Kook
Kim, head of Invest KOREA.
Invest KOREA has been holding the
GTKK program every year so that mem bers of Korea’s foreign business and
press community, along with their families, can enjoy the country’s beautiful
landscape and vibrant culture.
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KOREAN COMPANIES
SEEK TO ENTER THE
AFRICAN MARKET
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Korea’s consumer goods were showcased in Johannesburg, South Africa for
four days starting Oct. 19.
To appeal to Africa’s middle-class consumers, Korean firms in the cosmetics,
fashion and food industries took part in
the event hosted by KOTRA. Specifically,
the event offered business meetings that
gathered 31 Korean firms and 80 African
buyers, including Spar, Woolworths and
Foschini Group. There were also a variety
of exhibitions and Korean gourmet pop-up stalls to appeal to visitors. Overall, the
showcase helped Korean firms deepen the
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understanding of the African market as a
promising export destination. On the sidelines was a promotional program held at
the Sandton City Mall, Africa’s most
prestigious shopping destination, and
Korean cosmetics and Korean food were
introduced to consumers.
“Africa’s consumer market is expected
to reach USD 355.8 billion by 2017 and
grow at an average annual rate of 10.3
percent” said Seunghee Lee, who is in
charge of KOTRA’s Africa division.
“Africa will be a great market for Korean
companies in the future.”
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KOTRA USES SOFT
POWER TO TARGET
CHINESE CONSUMERS
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From Oct. 18 to 29, KOTRA and the
Consulate of the Republic of Korea in
Qingdao hosted E-Commerce Week in
Shandong, China.
In a bid to increase the presence of
Korean companies in the Chinese cosmetics market, the event offered an
informative forum on market entry, one-on-one marketing consultations and promotion sessions customized to the local
market. The e-commerce forum provided
participants with helpful information on
export and customs regulations, as well
as ways to resolve logistical challenges
facing exporters.
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“If we are to gain a dominant position
in the highly competitive Chinese market,
multifaceted strategies from information
sharing and marketing to CSR activities
are essential,” said Gwang-young Chung,
KOTRA’s regional director general for
China. He added that these strategies
should be tailored to each region and
industry, and KOTRA will continue to
support small and medium-sized companies along the way.
Meanwhile, China’s online cosmetics
market made up 22 percent of the total
last year, up from 14.5 percent in 2013.