Korea International Trade Association (KITA) has teamed up with CJ Group, South Korea’s food and entertainment conglomerate, to capitalize on K-pop to market Korean goods overseas.

This is the first time for the association to partner with a private firm in promoting Korean exports through entertainment, according to trade industry sources.

CJ E&M Corp., the content and media unit of CJ Group, will host the K-CON concert featuring popular Korean idol groups including Super Junior, Girl’s Day and Seventeen from August 18 to 20 at Staples Center, Los Angeles.

CJ will also help KITA in opening conventions and consulting sessions for Korean exports. It will run K-CON LA Korea Zone and invite some of Korea’s biggest brands in cosmetics, beauty and jewelry. About 70 small- and mid-sized local companies are expected to participate.

Promotional events targeting individual consumers will be held during the concert to take advantage of the large crowd. A meeting with business buyers will take place on August 21 after the concert.

“A big company hosting a large-scale promo event can draw huge interest from not only other companies but also regular consumers,” said a KITA official. “We hope the convention can expose many people to Korean fashion, food, and beauty products so that more opportunities open up for local businesses.”

KITA plans to replicate this concert-and-convention export model in other countries, including Jakarta, Indonesia next month.

By Kim Jung-hwan

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]