Eight small and midsize firms in food, beauty and other consumer goods sectors take part

Delegation holds networking sessions with more than 40 local distributors

Meetings with major buyers including Landmark, Lulu and Carrefour

KITA Vice Chairman Lee In-ho pledges expanded support for K-consumer goods across MENA

Korea International Trade Association Vice Chairman Lee In-ho (second from right) meets with Farah Al Zarouni, assistant undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. [Korea International Trade Association]
Korea International Trade Association Vice Chairman Lee In-ho (second from right) meets with Farah Al Zarouni, assistant undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. [Korea International Trade Association]

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said Thursday it dispatched a "K-Consumer Goods Economic Cooperation Delegation" to the UAE and Morocco over four days from Monday (local time) through Thursday, supporting Korean companies' efforts to enter the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market through government meetings and business networking sessions.

The UAE, a business hub for the Middle East, is a market where demand for K-consumer goods has been rising rapidly, driven by strong purchasing power and the spread of hallyu. South Korea's K-beauty exports to the UAE surged more than ninefold, from $31 million in 2020 to $287 million last year. A Korea-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that took effect in May also laid the groundwork for expanding trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Morocco, a strategic geographic crossroads linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East, is the only African country to have signed a free trade agreement with the United States and has formed a free trade zone with the EU under an association agreement, drawing attention as a manufacturing and export hub for the region. KITA organized the delegation to help Korean consumer goods companies enter the MENA market, with eight promising firms in cosmetics, medical supplies and food taking part.

On Monday, the delegation held one-on-one business meetings with 27 local buyers at the Korea-UAE Consumer Goods Business Networking event at Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ). Major buyers in attendance included Landmark Group (a retail conglomerate operating across the Middle East and India), Lulu Group (an Abu Dhabi-based multinational retailer), Choithrams (a UAE-based supermarket chain) and Al Maya Group (a Dubai-based general retail conglomerate).

In addition, the delegation met with Farah Al Zarouni, assistant undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Hadi Badri, CEO of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), to discuss strategies for entering the halal market with K-consumer goods and explore avenues for bilateral cooperation in the consumer goods and retail sectors.

KITA then co-hosted a Korea-Morocco K-Consumer Goods B2B Consultation with KOTRA's Casablanca trade office in Casablanca, Morocco, on Wednesday, alongside a Korea-Morocco Economic Cooperation Seminar with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM). At the consultation, participating companies held export talks and networking sessions with more than 10 local distributors, including Carrefour. At the seminar, CGEM and the Moroccan Investment Agency shared local investment opportunities and sector-specific market entry strategies.

Lee In-ho, the KITA vice chairman leading the delegation, met Thursday in Rabat with Ryad Mezzour, Morocco's minister of industry, trade, investment and the digital economy, to discuss expanding industrial cooperation under a Korea-Morocco CEPA initiative and ways to facilitate Korean companies' entry into the Moroccan market.

"The UAE and Morocco are gateways to the Middle East and to Europe and Africa, respectively, and are promising markets where the consumer base favorable to Korean culture is growing," Lee said. "We will actively support K-consumer goods — backed by their quality, safety and hallyu brand competitiveness — in expanding beyond the UAE and Morocco to reach the entire MENA market."

Meanwhile, KITA said it co-hosted a seminar on the outlook and market entry strategies following the US midterm elections on Wednesday at Trade Tower in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The seminar was organized to examine the key issues surrounding the US midterm elections, scheduled for Nov. 3 (local time), and the outlook for economic and trade policy going forward, while offering practical guidance for Korean companies operating in the United States.


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