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I wish comfort and happiness to all of you in the
exhibition industry who are making their best efforts
to help boost exports day and night.
Last year, Korea secured the 12th position in
the global ranking of exporting countries; its
export volume reached record US$254 billion, surpassing
the $200 billion mark for the first time. Especially,
I am very proud of the fact that exports propped
up our economy when both the domestic demands
and investments were staggering. Although I share
this pride with you all, I want to stress that
now is the time to renew our resolve. We need
to make careful preparations and put forth more
efforts to realize the goal of becoming one of
the world’s eight biggest trading nations and
achieving the $400 billion export mark in the
coming 2010.
The advanced countries like Germany and the US
invest a lot in the exhibition industry, aware
that its competitiveness is directly related with
the competitiveness of their exports. Likewise,
we should expand the exhibition infrastructure
and foster exhibitions with an international scale
and brands, thus offering exhibition services
with a low cost and high efficiency to our exporting
industries. Doing this will be a shortcut to the
attainment of the mid- and long-term export goals.
In this respect, this year will be a very meaningful
period when significant progress is made in the
Korean exhibition industry. Once KINTEX is completed
this coming April, it will solve the shortage
of exhibition venues, a long-standing problem
of the Korean exhibition industry. Plus, it will
greatly enhance the image of Korea as the hub
of the Northeast Asian exhibition industry by
hosting large-scale, specialized, international
exhibitions.
KINTEX needs the positive interest and assistance
of the Korean government as well as related organizations
and industries to become the representative exhibition
center in the Northeast Asia while leading the
advancement of the Korean exhibition industry.
Therefore, KOTRA will also double its efforts
to market domestic exhibitions overseas and to
attract foreign companies here through its 105
overseas trade offices.
Let’s try our hardest to realize the renaissance
of the Korean exhibition industry with our enthusiasm
and power that made it possible for the nation
to realize the $200 billion export mark last year.
Thank you very much!
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