The Korea International Trade Association helped local small and medium-sized companies and startups tap the Central and South American markets with a two-day trade fair for South Korean consumer goods this week, the state-run agency said Wednesday.

The K-Consumer Goods and Exports Fair was held Tuesday and Wednesday, both online and offline at Seoul’s Coex and Bogota’s Corferias convention center, in cooperation with Seoul’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups. It was KITA’s second online-to-offline export support event since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The first took place in Dubai last year.

This year’s show welcomed 61 Korean companies and institutions, along with about 200 buyers and 400 consumers from 17 countries in the Americas, KITA said.

Participants had opportunities to test the products on display, and online meetings took place at both exhibition centers. Social media influencers and celebrities from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico also took part.

Colombia has seen demand for imported food, beverages, clothes and cosmetics increase by 3.4 percent over the past five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Institute for International Trade, under the Korea International Trade Association.

According to KITA, Korean dramas, cosmetics and music have garnered global attention amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Colombia has emerged as a promising market for Korean consumer goods. The agency expects the South American country to open its doors wider to Korean exporters, it added.

“KITA will actively seek ways to support domestic small and medium-sized export companies to partner up with online platforms that operate in South American countries where e-commerce is gaining momentum,” said Kim Hyun-chul, executive managing director at KITA. 

By Park Jun-hee (junheee@heraldcorp.com)