The 28th World-OKTA Convention, which took place from October 28th to November 1st at the Austria Center Vienna, ended with impressive successes. As part of the convention, the Korea Business Expo was held in Europe for the first time and achieved record results.
The goal of many of the hundreds of South Korean companies present was to find an entry into the European market and this was successfully achieved at the two-day Korea Business Expo. The Expo recorded over 4,807 export consultations. A total of 213 memoranda of understanding were signed with a total volume of 246 billion Korean won (around 164 million euros).
Not only were giants like Samsung and LG (which presented its entire product range in Austria for the first time) there with their innovations, but also many predominantly small and medium-sized companies who presented their products and innovations in Europe for the first time at over 450 stands.
At the initiative of World-OKTA Chairman Jong-Bum Park, who founded the Korea Business Expo and is managing director and founder of the Vienna-based Youngsan Group, Korean companies were given a unique platform to present their products and services to an international audience. Jong-Bum Park, who has lived and worked in Austria for decades, has established this successful expo in Vienna as an important bridge between Korean and European companies.
More than 5,000 visitors came to Vienna for this event: including high-ranking Korean government officials and business people, as well as leading buyers. 4,807 export consultations were carried out during the Expo.
At the opening of the Expo, actress Ewa Kasp charmingly led through the event, presented the highlights and provided exciting insights into the diverse offerings. On behalf of World-OKTA, she expressed her heartfelt thanks to the KB Kookmin Bank and the Vienna Tourist Board for their excellent cooperation.
Korean provinces such as Gyeongsangbuk-do offered traditional performances as a cultural highlight that thrilled the guests. Even the governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do and numerous other high-ranking Korean politicians traveled to Vienna to present the special features of South Korea to Europe.
A special highlight was the breathtaking and unforgettable opening performance by the celebrated Korean star ballerina Hyo-Jung Kang, first soloist of the Vienna State Ballet, in the role of the “Dying Swan”. This demanding choreography, which requires utmost precision, extraordinary expressiveness and deep emotion, can only be performed to perfection by the most talented dancers. Hyo-Jung Kang, one of the outstanding dancers of her generation, shone in this difficult role and was recognized with enthusiastic applause from the impressed audience, including prominent guests of honor such as Federal Minister Martin Kocher and former Federal President Heinz Fischer.
Other attractions included K-food, K-beauty and technology presentations. Particularly noteworthy was the presentation of the XCIENT hydrogen truck in collaboration with Hyundai and Samsung SDS, which carries sustainable mobility into the future.
The crowning conclusion of the event was an exclusive concert by the internationally celebrated soprano Sumi Jo in the Vienna Musikverein, which rounded off the conference in an atmospheric way.
More pictures in the APA-Fotogalerie