Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
ASEAN-Korea Centre sends trade mission to Brunei, Singapore
ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Jae-shin, front row seventh from left, and other business and government officials poses during a trade facilitation mission in Brunei, Monday. Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre
By Kim Hyun-bin
Korean companies join ASEAN trade mission
The ASEAN-Korea Centre, in cooperation with the Korea Importers Association, led a trade mission to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore from Feb. 2 to 5 to expand trade and investment ties between ASEAN member states and Korea.
The mission brought together 21 Korean companies from the food and beverage, materials and consumer goods sectors, along with about 30 local companies and industry stakeholders from Brunei and Singapore. Participants took part in business forums, one-on-one business matching sessions and industrial site visits aimed at providing market insights and identifying potential partners.
The initiative was part of the AKC’s multi-year trade promotion program launched in 2025. It followed earlier missions to Indonesia in January 2025 and to Laos and Thailand in May 2025, as the center stepped up efforts to support Korean companies seeking entry into ASEAN markets.
The mission opened on Feb. 2 with the Brunei-Korea Business Forum at the Radisson Hotel in Brunei Darussalam.
A keynote address was delivered by Hajah May Fae’zah binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin, permanent secretary at Brunei’s Ministry of Finance and Economy. Officials from the ministry and Universiti Malaysia Sabah gave presentations on the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement, bilateral trade trends and market entry strategies. One-on-one business meetings followed to explore concrete partnership opportunities.
On Feb. 3, participants visited key industrial sites in Brunei to gain insight into the country’s trade structure, which is shaped by its geographic location and resource-based exports. Site visits included the Bruneian Made Hub, which promotes domestically produced goods, and Ghanim International Corporation Sdn Bhd, a major halal food manufacturer.
The Singapore leg of the mission began Wednesday with the Singapore-Korea Business Forum at the Carlton Hotel Singapore. The forum focused on bilateral trade and investment trends, government trade policies and ways to strengthen business networks between the two countries.
Officials from the federation and World-OKTA Singapore presented on the Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, strategies for Korean companies targeting Singaporean buyers and an overview of the local market. Business matching sessions were held in the afternoon.
The mission concluded Thursday with an industrial site visit in Singapore, where participants examined the city-state’s role as a global trade hub shaped by foreign investment and reexport-driven growth. The program included a visit to Ryan’s Grocery to help participants better understand local retail operations and market entry strategies.
The ASEAN-Korea Centre said it would continue to dispatch trade promotion missions to support Korean companies’ expansion into ASEAN markets and to foster more sustainable economic cooperation between ASEAN and Korea.
In a related program held during the Brunei leg of the mission, the ASEAN-Korea Centre, in partnership with Brunei Darussalam’s Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, co-hosted a seminar titled “Laying the Groundwork: Beginning the UNESCO World Heritage Pathway in Brunei” on Feb. 3.
The seminar was organized to share ASEAN and Korean case studies on World Heritage inscription and to facilitate discussions on Brunei Darussalam’s pathway toward a future UNESCO World Heritage nomination, with the aim of strengthening local tourism competitiveness.
World heritage experts from institutions including the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, the Korea Heritage Service, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center presented country- and region-specific experiences of World Heritage inscription and discussed their broader policy and economic implications.
About 80 participants — including central and local government officials from Brunei Darussalam, tourism industry professionals and academic experts — examined key requirements and preparatory strategies for World Heritage inscription, approaches to balancing conservation management with tourism development after inscription and operational case studies from countries with existing World Heritage sites.
Ahead of the seminar, the ASEAN-Korea Centre and invited experts conducted a technical visit to Ulu Temburong National Park, Brunei Darussalam’s top priority for nomination. The visit allowed participants to assess the status of natural heritage management, biodiversity conservation efforts and the park’s heritage value while exchanging views on future nomination strategies.
“I hope this seminar served as a valuable platform to share Korea’s and ASEAN’s experiences in the complex and long-term process of UNESCO heritage inscription, while supporting Brunei Darussalam’s national efforts toward heritage listing and tourism capacity-building. The AKC will continue to expand tourism cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and Korea in the years ahead,” AKC Secretary General Kim Jae-shin said.