The Malaysian Embassy and its trade arm, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, have recruited 22 South Korean buyers, the highest number to date, to participate in the 7th International Trade Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur from Nov. 24-28

South Korean buyers will also meet one-on-one with specially paired Malaysian producers and sellers in MATRADE’s Incoming Buying Mission program.

South Korean participation in the MATRADE’s IBM program has slowly expanded in the past five years. When the program was first introduced in 2008, only four Korean buyers participated but, this year, 22 buyers will take part. A MATRADE official attributes the program’s success to close cooperation with the Seoul-based ASEAN-Korea Centre.

The annual trade fair in Malaysia has become an important platform for the promotion of world-class Malaysian products and services in South Korea and brought Northeast Asian businesses together with their Malaysian counterparts to establish links and identify opportunities within niche markets.

The 22 buyers from South Korea taking part in the IBM program are interested in a variety of Malaysian products, according to a Malaysian diplomat.

The areas and products of interest for South Korean companies include furniture and building materials like tiles, door and window frames; processed foods like health drinks, packaged foods and confectionaries; household goods; and renewable energy products like wood pellets, solar panels and wind turbines.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)