Pyeongtaek City has successfully held an export consultation in Eastern Europe, marking a significant step in helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expand their overseas markets and proactively respond to changes in U.S. tariff policies amid the rapidly changing international trade environment. This consultation not only achieved immediate export results but also laid a crucial foundation for a long-term market diversification strategy.

 
Large-Scale Trade Delegation Tours Three Eastern European Countries

The "2025 Overseas Market Development Delegation," hosted by Pyeongtaek City and organized by the Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency, embarked on a tour of three Eastern European countries, engaging in active consultations with local buyers. The tour began in Vienna, Austria, on May 26, followed by Budapest, Hungary, on May 28, and Sofia, Bulgaria, on May 30. Notably, this delegation was an unusually large trade mission, comprising 25 companies from three cities: Pyeongtaek, Anseong, and Jinju. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) participated as a cooperative organization on-site, facilitating smooth consultations. Furthermore, Hong Gyu-deok, the Ambassador to Hungary, visited the sites, encouraging participating companies and actively promoting the excellence of Korean businesses.

The consultation involved eight promising SMEs from Pyeongtaek City, with a focus on generating tangible business results through 1:1 matching with over 120 local buyers. Particularly, the consultations held in Austria and Hungary resulted in a total of 76 meetings, leading to concrete outcomes such as the signing of memorandums of understanding (MOUs), sample supply contracts, and discussions for follow-up procedures, significantly increasing the satisfaction of participating companies. This served as an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of the Eastern European market and the competitiveness of products from Pyeongtaek City's SMEs.

 
Strategic Market Diversification and Continuous Support

Pyeongtaek City is preparing various follow-up support measures to ensure that the achievements from this consultation extend beyond short-term results and lead to continuous export growth. Firstly, the city plans to continuously provide local market information through close cooperation with overseas trade offices and embassies, helping companies adapt to rapidly changing market conditions.

Additionally, Pyeongtaek City intends to activate online export consultations utilizing KOTRA and the Pyeongtaek Digital Trade Comprehensive Support Center (Pyeongtaek deXter), thereby expanding contact points with overseas buyers without spatial or temporal limitations. Pyeongtaek deXter serves as KOTRA's nationwide digital trade hub, providing support across the entire trade cycle, including digital content creation, digital marketing, identification of potential buyers, and trade consultations. Specifically, it will assist companies in efficiently conducting overseas business in a non-face-to-face environment through online consultation support. Furthermore, Pyeongtaek City plans to establish a comprehensive support system for companies' overseas expansion by linking it with existing corporate support programs.

This overseas market development delegation went beyond simple consultations, engaging in comprehensive activities such as visiting local relevant organizations like the Hungarian Embassy and the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) to thoroughly understand their export and investment support systems and discuss practical cooperation measures. This demonstrates Pyeongtaek City's commitment to building a long-term roadmap for SME overseas expansion.

 
Market Diversification as an Essential Strategy

Pyeongtaek Mayor Jeong Jang-seon emphasized, "This export consultation is highly significant not only for its short-term export achievements but also for laying the foundation for a long-term market diversification strategy." He added, "Pyeongtaek City will continue to promote various projects to support businesses' exports, contributing to regional economic revitalization."

Pyeongtaek City is actively responding to uncertainties in the international trade environment, such as changes in U.S. tariff policies, by strengthening global competitiveness centered on four strategic industries: semiconductors, hydrogen, future automobiles, and artificial intelligence (AI), while simultaneously diversifying its export destinations. The understanding that a high reliance on specific markets can make businesses vulnerable to external factors has become widespread. Therefore, pioneering new markets has now become an essential strategy for sustainable corporate growth. Pyeongtaek City's efforts are expected to be a crucial foundation for local SMEs to secure global competitiveness and discover new growth engines.

This Eastern European export consultation will not only create business opportunities but also serve as a significant turning point for Pyeongtaek City's SMEs to flexibly adapt to the changing global trade environment and strengthen the capabilities needed to explore new markets.