S.KOREA-JAPAN G-FAIR TRADE SHOW

[Anchor Lead]

Trade and business personnel exchanges between South Korea and Japan have taken a hit from the pandemic. An expo has opened in Seoul and Tokyo simultaneously where products are observed physically through eyes and hands while trade deals take place virtually via videoconferencing.

[Pkg]

A showroom in Tokyo that displays Korean products. Visitors try out Korean cosmetics, applying them on their hand. Japanese buyers who want to know more about the products and terms of purchase hold virtual talks with Korean vendors on site.

[Soundbite] (President of a Japanese firm) : "Korean cosmetics stand out in design and quality. They are popular among Japanese women."

Meanwhile in Seoul, Japanese Internet influencers are promoting the goods of 36 Korean firms. Amid the pandemic, business trips are scarce and it’s become difficult for SMEs to forge export channels. This is why a hybrid form of business expos combining both off and online venues are growing.

[Soundbite] (Employee of a Japanese firm) : "It’s very time efficient because everything is here at one location. It’s very effective."

The ambassadors of both countries attended the Seoul and Tokyo expos held at the same time. They stressed that economic exchanges are all the more necessary when bilateral ties have deteriorated.

[Soundbite] Kang Chang-il(S. Korean ambassador in Tokyo) : "The 4th Korean Wave is sweeping through Japan, with high interest in Korean culture and goods."

[Soundbite] Koichi Aiboshi(Japanese ambassador in Seoul) : "What’s important is the exchange between the two countries’ businesspeople."

Some 110 South Korean SMEs and 180 Japanese firms hoping to buy Korean products are taking part in the latest event which continues through Friday.