KOTRA hosts large exhibition of Korean products in Mideast

Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency announced on Tuesday that it had launched the largest-ever exhibition of Korean products in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates.

Titled “Made in Korea UAE 2012,” the exhibition takes place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. The three-day exhibition introduces a wide variety of products ranging from healthcare equipment to excavator. Infopia Company, IR Electric Company, Doosan Infracore Company, Caravan Engineered Structures Inc., Korea Electric Power Corporation and 15 of its subcontractors are participating in the exhibition.

The exhibition aims to expand the market share of Korean products sold in the Middle East, which remains weak in manufacturing sector considering its large GDP, KOTRA said. Displayed in the exhibition are items popular in the Middle Eastern market, such as medical apparatus, construction materials, auto parts and consumer goods.

Among 103 participating companies, 69 are small or mid-sized companies including Caravan Engineered Structures Inc., which exclusively supplies precast construction products.

“The exhibition will be a good opportunity for buyers of the Middle East to experience the excellence of Korean products,” KOTRA president Oh Young-ho said. “Korea and the Middle East has been cooperating in the fields of construction and energy, and we hope the exhibition will lead to further business cooperation in wider sectors.”

Commerce minister Hong Suk-woo, KOTRA president Oh Young-ho, UAE Minister for Foreign Trade Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi and president of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry Mohamed Thani Al Rumaithi participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the opening day.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)