On April 27, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced a list of businesses that will make up the delegation that will accompany the president on her upcoming trip to Iran.
According to the ministry, the delegation is composed of 236 firms: 38 large companies, such as Samsung, LG and POSCO, 146 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 50 public organizations and two hospitals.
President Park Geun-hye’s upcoming visit to Iran early next month will be accompanied by Korea’s largest-ever business delegation. The above photos show the Korea-Mexico Business Forum that took place in Mexico City earlier this month on the occasion of President Park’s official visit to Mexico.
The list of delegation members includes companies in promising value-added sectors on which Korea and Iran are likely to cooperate. These sectors include IT, security, electronics and electrics, health and medicine, biotech, automobiles and parts, consumer goods and logistics, and food products.
Most significantly, the list also includes companies in the machinery and materials, factories, engineering, energy and environmental sectors. These are all fields in need of extended investment to improve Iran’s infrastructure and factories, as economic sanctions imposed on Iran have now been lifted. The delegation also includes 146 competitive SMEs that have bright prospects to access the now-open Iranian market.
Members of the delegation will attend the Korea-Iran Business Forum slated for May 3 in Tehran and hold one-on-one meetings hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. These will involve Iranian counterparts where they will discuss detailed measures to boost bilateral cooperation.
President Park Geun-hye will attend the business forum, too, where she will propose an expansion of bilateral economic cooperation and emphasize the importance of forming a network between Korean and Iranian businesses.
About the trip, Cheong Wa Dae said, “President Park’s upcoming Iran visit will become an important watershed for both Korea and Iran, improving our bilateral relations which have been slowed in recent years due to economic sanctions.” The presidential office also said that, “Our two countries will seek out measures to strengthen cooperation in a substantial manner across various sectors on the occasion of President Park’s visit to Iran.”
By Yoon Sojung
Kora.net Staff Writer
Photos: Cheong Wa Dae
arete@korea.kr
