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| Participants of the ASEAN-Korea Business Expo hold business meetings on the sidelines of the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit at BEXCO in Busan, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Park Ji-won
BUSAN - Participants initially hoped that this year's 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit could pave the way for more business opportunities between participating Southeast Asian countries and South Korea. However, some have expressed disappointment, saying the event has been poorly organized.
"This is a good chance for ASEAN people to understand more about each other, especially, for those enterprises in the ASEAN community and Korea which want to invest," Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, president of Vietphuc Group which runs companies for hotel suppliers and agricultural products, told The Korea Times at the ASEAN-Korea Business Expo, which was held on the sidelines of the three-day international summit in BEXCO, Busan, Monday.
Nguyen said that she believed the event would be helpful. "I think it is a good chance for me and Vietnamese enterprises to come to visit Korea," she said.
The international summit marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue between ASEAN and South Korea. Some 14,000 people from ASEAN countries reportedly registered to participate. Various events including the business expo and a fashion show among ASEAN member nations are being held between Monday and Wednesday.
However, some participants expressed disappointment, claiming the event was not well-organized and not even informative for people seeking business opportunities in ASEAN countries.
Many participants struggled to enter the venue as kiosks giving access cards were changed without notice and visitors had to wait in line for up to 30 minutes to get their cards. An official explained later that some ID card distribution kiosks had to be closed for security reasons.
"No one, including the staff, knew exactly where to get an access card. I, a Korean, had to roam around to get the card. Many foreigners would not know where to go to get their cards," a participant said on condition of anonymity.
"I didn't get enough information about the summit and business events involving ASEAN countries here," said Daniel Yong-kyu Woo, president and CEO of Nature 4, a cosmetics company based in North Gyeongsang Province. He visited the event to find business opportunities with ASEAN countries amid difficulties in running a business in Korea due to various regulations.
Claiming that the size of the ASEAN event was smaller compared to those held at COEX and KINTEX in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, he added that the information he got at the event was insufficient and it appeared to be difficult to actually sign a business contract there.
Twenty activists working for toll gates held a rally outside BEXCO, calling for President Moon Jae-in to give them full-time employment status.
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| Participants of the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit wait in line to enter the venue in BEXCO in Busan, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
