The Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) is organizing the Korea Import Fair 2025 (KIF 2025) from July 7 to July 9, 2025, at the COEX Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea.
Background:
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) have held the fair since its launch in 2003. The most recent edition took place from July 4 to 6, 2024, featuring 85 exhibitors from 60 countries across all continents, presenting in national pavilions. The event attracted approximately 15,000 visitors and covered an area of 3,000 square meters.
Objectives:
The fair provides a platform for foreign manufacturers and suppliers to present and promote their products to Korean importers and distributors. It facilitates the establishment of new business networks in the Korean market.
This is a general, non-specialized exhibition, where the showcased products typically include:
• Food and beverages, herbs, and spices
• Handicrafts
• Cosmetics
• Household items, including kitchenware and home décor
• Furniture
• Leather products
• Footwear
• Apparel, jewelry, and women’s accessories
For more information about the event, please visit the following website:
(https://www.koimakif.com/en/index.do)
Key Notes:
1. The rise in participation is attributed to the provision of free 9-square-meter spaces to each country. These spaces are often utilized by embassies or business organizations to display brochures and catalogs, rather than full-scale product exhibitions.
2. Distinctive Features:
o The fair is Korea’s sole general import exhibition.
o It arranges B2B meetings with Korean buyers.
o Despite its reputation since 2003, recent editions have seen a decline in visitor numbers, especially among professional buyers. Visitors are mostly individuals seeking foreign products, such as foods and crafts, unavailable in the Korean market.
o Many pavilions rely primarily on catalogs and promotional materials, with limited product samples on display.
3. B2B Meetings:
o Meetings often involve 10-15 Korean buyers, mostly from small-scale businesses.
o Major import companies and retail chains (e.g., supermarkets) have been notably absent in recent years.
o There are concerns about the relevance and seriousness of the meetings, as the Korean buyers often do not deal in the products showcased by foreign exporters.
Egyptian Participation:
In recent years, Egypt’s participation has been limited:
• In 2022 and 2023, only ExpoLink (Egyptian Exporters Association) participated, with no Egyptian companies present in 2022 and only one in 2023.
• The Egyptian pavilion (12 sqm in 2022; 9 sqm in 2023) was utilized to promote various Egyptian industries, showcasing their adherence to modern technologies and international standards. High-quality promotional materials, including QR codes and well-designed company websites, enhanced the effort.
• The Egyptian side optimally utilized its participation during those two sessions by promoting a wide range of Egyptian production sectors aimed at increasing the penetration of their products in the Korean market. The efforts highlighted the development of Egyptian industries and the commitment of factories to modern technologies and international production standards. This approach effectively introduced the Korean side to the progress and quality of Egyptian industries. Highly specialized and detailed informational and reference documents were made available, supported by modern technologies such as QR codes to facilitate document downloads, and the promoted companies had highly professional websites. However, these efforts did not result in actual contracts.
• Despite the success of the Egyptian participation, the office at the time recommended that Egypt’s efforts to access the Korean market should not be limited to participation in the Korea Import Fair. While the fair provides a relatively suitable platform with the advantage of free space allocation, which reduces participation costs, it is important to consider that it is a general, non-specialized fair. Moreover, there was a noticeable decline in visitor numbers, particularly buyers, during the last two sessions. The estimated decline in visitor numbers for the 2022 session was attributed to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and people avoiding large gatherings. However, the decline persisted during the 2023 and 2024 sessions, even as Korea resumed hosting trade events under normal conditions. This trend was not observed in other specialized exhibitions held in Korea, suggesting a lack of interest among specialized Korean buyers in attending this fair. This undermines the primary objectives of Egyptian participation, which are promotion, establishing a positive image of Egyptian industries, achieving market penetration, building business networks, and concluding export deals.
Despite these efforts, no direct export contracts were secured during or after the fair.
Recommendations for Egyptian Involvement in 2025:
Given the low turnout and minimal buyer engagement, the following should be considered before planning participation in the upcoming edition (July 7–9, 2025):
1. Revised Expectations:
Focus on promoting the image of Egyptian industries rather than expecting immediate trade deals.
2. Strategic Goals:
o Showcase the evolution and quality of Egyptian manufacturing to the Korean market.
o Use the event to build a positive perception of Egypt as a reliable source for diverse products.
3. Leverage Diplomatic Milestones:
Utilize the media attention expected around the 30th anniversary of Egypt-South Korea diplomatic relations to amplify the promotional impact.
4. Cost Considerations:
o The exhibition is not part of Egypt's financially supported external trade fair plan.
o Minimum booth space is 9 sqm, costing $3,000 (furnished) or $10,000 (unfurnished) for 36 sqm.
o A 40% discount is available for bookings made by December 2024.
Attachments:
1. Report on the 2024 Edition:
2. Details for the next Edition:
3. Participation Form:
Promotional Video Link:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh53IXeaGVI)
