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Gov’t to hold Korean business convention in Atlanta

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By Jhoo Dong-chan
  • Published Apr 14, 2025 12:20 pm KST
  • Updated Apr 14, 2025 3:41 pm KST
A promotional poster for the World Korean Business Convention 2025 / Courtesy of Overseas Koreans Agency

A promotional poster for the World Korean Business Convention 2025 / Courtesy of Overseas Koreans Agency

The government will hold a convention this week to promote domestic and overseas Koreans’ business activities.

The Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) will host the World Korean Business Convention 2025 starting Thursday at Gas South Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the government said Monday.

The four-day event has been held since 2002 to promote business opportunities and networking between domestic and overseas Korean businesses.

The government said a number of officials from Seoul and Washington are also expected to join the convention to discuss the looming global economic crisis amid the Donald Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff policy.

“For this year’s event, about 350 domestic firms are expected to participate in the event. There will also be 405 exhibition booths in the venue,” a government official said in a press release. “The OKA will provide one-on-one business consulting for participating businesses. This will be a very helpful window, especially for start-ups.”

It added that it will focus on exhibitions featuring Korea’s cultural and media content during the convention, highlighting domestic cosmetics and food companies’ possible entry to the U.S. market.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs data, the number of overseas Koreans worldwide reached 7.32 million as of 2021, consisting of 4.8 million foreign nationals and 2.5 million Korean nationals.

Founded in 2023, the OKA is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated government agency for Korean diaspora communities worldwide.

For last year’s convention held in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, the OKA said about 3,000 overseas Korean business leaders participated while 326 companies showcased their products. About 30 global social media influencers were also invited to the event to promote their products and help foster business networking opportunities. The event was also open to college students.