The 21st World Korean Business Convention, which was held overseas for the first time and attracted the attention of Korean businessmen from around the world, concluded successfully after four days of events.
The closing ceremony, held at the Westin Anaheim Resort on October 14, was attended by more than 600 people, including representatives from the Overseas Koreans Agency, the Korea Federation of SMEs, various local governments, the Korean American Chamber of Commerce USA, participating companies, and U.S. government officials, to celebrate the successful conclusion of the event.
According to the provisional statistics of the event, which were announced by Lee Key-cheol, head of the Overseas Koreans Agency, in his closing remarks, the total number of participating companies was 7,825, which is 3.5 times more than in the previous convention, and the number of booths increased from 130 to over 600, a growth rate of nearly 400%.
The number of investment consultations reached 17,183. The consultation volume during the event was $572.6 million, and the on-site contract value was $19.4 million.
In his closing remarks, Lee said, “This year’s event has achieved greater results than ever before, and I believe that the ‘one-team spirit’ has brought about such good results.” “Together with the Korean American Chamber of Commerce, we will do our utmost to ensure that all the SMEs we consulted with are able to secure contracts,” he promised.
After that, WKBC Organizing Committee President Byung Gu Hwang, took the stage to give a farewell speech, gathering all the organizers and thanking them for their hard work. “With the help of the Korean National Government, Leading CEO, the Korea Federation of SMEs, it was possible to organize and successfully close the event. With WKBC Venue President Sean Roh, many have worked tirelessly over the past year and a half to bring about a successful event. It was also possible because of the full support of the WKBC President Kee Whan Ha, who organized all the difficult and painstaking work behind the scenes, and Korean American companies such as KISS,” Hwang said.
Sean Roh also said, “We have been working really hard for a year and a half, and it would not have been possible without your help. Even though we prepared hard, I’m still feeling sorry that we could have done better. I hope everyone who participated can go home with a good memory.”
Kyung Chul Lee, President of Korean American Chamber of Commerce, also said, “Thanks to your support, we were able to finish safely and well. I would like to thank the Korean American community in Southern California for making this the best convention ever.”
Following video congratulatory remarks from U.S. Representative Young Kim and Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Dong-yeon, the $40,000 startup competition awards ceremony was held.
The winners were BANF and REMAX, who won the Grand Prize and First Prize, respectively, among the offline participants, and SIMPLE PLANET and TEUIDA, who won the First Prize and Second Prize, respectively, among the online teams. The grand prize winner received $15,000 and the first prize winner received $5,000 and a certificate.
Six local students, funded by the Korean Chamber of Commerce Dream Foundation and selected by the organizers, were also awarded scholarships of $2,500 each.
The event’s luncheon was catered by Hyundai Motor Group.
BY NAKI PARK, JUNHAN PARK [naki@koreadaily.com]
