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Virtual trade mission to South Korea

Now more than ever, building resiliency and sustainability in your business is important. As Canadian businesses continue to face the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Affairs Canada through its Trade Commissioner Service wants to support the mobilization of first-time and experienced exporters.

Explore business opportunities in South Korea

South Korea is the fourth largest economy in Asia and Canada’s seventh largest overall merchandise trading partner. South Korea is an interesting market for innovative Canadian companies looking to expand to Asia though business or research and development (R&D) partnerships because of its:

  • advanced information and communications technologies (ICT) infrastructure
  • high-level of spending on R&D
  • innovation-driven and highly connected society

The Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA), Canada’s first bilateral free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region, puts Canadian companies on a level playing field against key competitors in the South Korean market. The Agreement opens market access for Canadian exporters and investors by removing duties on nearly all tariff lines. Since its entry into force in January 2015, Canadian two-way merchandise trade with South Korea increased by 32.8% from 2014, and reached $15.2 Billion in 2019.

If you want to know more about business opportunities in South Korea and the benefits of CKFTA, join the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, on a virtual Trade Mission to South Korea.

Why participate?

  • Learn about export services and funding programs
  • Hear from fellow Canadian entrepreneurs who have had success expanding internationally and doing business in South Korea
  • The virtual format of this trade mission provides a low-risk, low-cost option to explore a new market
  • Learn about the benefits of the CKFTA
  • The Korean market offers interesting business opportunities, particularly in sectors like agri-food, ICT, clean tech, life sciences, and education

October 28, 2020 – Seminar on preparing for international markets

Time:

  • October 28 - 7:00pm - 11:00pm (EST) 

Every Canadian entrepreneur with an ambition to sell their products or services overseas requires the confidence to realize their goals.

During this seminar you will:

  • learn the importance of trade diversification and the benefits of working with the Trade Commissioner Service and its export partners
  • gain a general understanding of the opportunities in South Korea
  • listen to a panel of speakers discuss export support for Canadian businesses
  • get inspired by hearing from Canadian businesses that have had export success

Program (*topics are subject to change)

  • Fireside chat: Canadian and Korean Ambassadors’ overview of the opportunities in South Korea
  • Panel: Where are you on the export readiness spectrum? Export support for Canadian business
  • Benefits of free trade agreements: What is the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the CKFTA?
  • Business view: A company’s journey to export success

Who can participate?

  • All sectors are welcome
  • First time and experienced exporters

November 5, 2020 – Opportunities for artificial intelligence solutions in South Korea

Time:

  • November 5 - 7:00pm - 11:00pm (EST)

The entry into force of a bilateral agreement on science technology and innovation cooperation, coupled with modest government funding though the Canadian International Innovation Program, is triggering increased interest in R&D collaboration from both Canada and South Korea. In the last two years, collaboration between Canadian and South Korean businesses in the field of AI has been particularly dynamic and the interest keeps growing.

During this targeted portion of the trade mission you will:

  • learn the benefits of the CKFTA
  • gain a deep understanding of the South Korean AI market and related opportunities within the ICT and life sciences sectors
  • hear from Canadian business champions about their experiences doing business in South Korea
  • benefit from business connections facilitated by trade commissioners in Seoul (after November 5).

Program (topics are subject to change)

  • Market overview – ICT sector in South Korea
  • CKFTA benefits for the ICT sector
  • South Korea’s AI strategy and the digital new deal
  • Business view – Canadian business champions share stories of their business experience in South Korea
  • B2B introductions/matchmaking (after November 5) for qualified exporters in the sectors of focus

Who can participate?

Canadian export-ready small and medium sized enterprises with strong potential for growth in the South Korean market in the following sectors:

  • ICT: smart mobility and logistics; smart cities; robotics; machine learning; big data analytics; and predictive analytics
  • Life Sciences: digital therapy; AI drug discovery; medical AI; AI diagnosis

Register

Registration Deadline: October 23, 2020

Register now to participate in these free events. Applications will be screened to determine program placement.

Key contacts

Find out more about the trade mission and the Trade Commissioner Service.

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