By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) Chairman Youn Young-mi met with Czech Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Ivan Jančarek and Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Tamara Mawhinney at the association's reception room in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on April 11 to discuss ways to expand bilateral trade and strengthen cooperation, the KOIMA said.

“The Czech Republic is competitive in various fields such as machinery, electricity and electronics, precision equipment, and food, but it is unfortunate that various Czech products are not sufficiently known in the Korean market,” said Ambassador Jančarek, who met with Chairman Yoon, emphasizing that the interest and cooperation of the KOIMA is very important.

The representative of the Czech Trade Promotion Agency, who was present at the meeting, introduced the delegation's plans to visit the Korean market and requested the interest of Korean meat importers in ANIMALCO, the largest meat import and export company in the Czech Republic.

“The Czech Republic is a promising market with many global companies, and we look forward to further cooperation between the two countries in various industries,” said Chairman Yoon, adding, ”We will positively consider dispatching an import delegation in time for the International Engineering Fair in Brno, Czech Republic, in October.”

Canadian Ambassador Mawhinney, who visited the association later that same day, suggested that the two countries “continue economic exchanges based on strong trust.”

The Korean representative of Export Development Canada (EDC) emphasized that EDC plays a strategic role in helping Korean companies enter the Canadian market by providing financial support, matching partners, and facilitating investment.

“Let's explore ways to strengthen practical cooperation with Canada, a key trading partner of Korea, based on our complementary industrial structures and common values,” Yoon said.