Homeplus President and CEO Joh Joo-yun, third from left, poses with American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman and CEO James Kim, second from left, after signing a memorandum of understanding to import and sell more U.S. food products to Korean consumers at Homeplus' headquarters in western Seoul, Thursday. Lisa Allen, left, director of the agricultural trade office at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, and Mark Dries, agricultural minister-counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, joined the event. Courtesy of Homeplus

Homeplus signed a new agreement with the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) on Thursday to increase the sale of U.S. food products to Korean consumers, the major Korean supermarket discount chain said.

Homeplus President and CEO Joh Joo-yun and AMCHAM Chairman and CEO James Kim signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), under which Homeplus will expand its sourcing channels to broader U.S. markets and import a greater variety of food products for Korean consumers.

Homeplus, with its 135 superstores and over 330 delivery-specialized stores nationwide, is the first Korean retail company to join the "Buy America" campaign, which promotes the purchase of U.S. goods outside the U.S. Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul also attended the MOU signing.

With the MOU, Homeplus will start selling international goods on a country-by-country basis, offering popular local food products from countries outside Korea at the most affordable prices. Homeplus will begin the series of global good sales with U.S.-sourced products, including meats, fruits, health supplements, wine and whiskeys.

A Homeplus official said the special sale will start next month, adding that bilateral discussions over the MOU began last year.

Joh highlighted that Homeplus was the first in Korea's retail distribution industry to join the "Buy America" campaign.

"We have decided to introduce U.S. food and liquor for our first food exhibition featuring goods from outside Korea," Joh said. "We hope Korean consumers experience more U.S. products at affordable prices."

The AMCHAM chairman said the MOU allows Korea and the United States to strengthen their economic partnership by raising accessibility to high-quality U.S. goods for Korean consumers.

"This MOU will contribute to both countries by optimizing trade procedures in both ways, create new business opportunities and further highlight AMCHAM's role in bridging the two countries in terms of trades and investments," Kim said.