[Incheon = UN Peace Times] The '24th World Hansang Convention', a gathering where global Korean business leaders and domestic companies come together, will be held from September 28 to 30 at Songdo ConvensiA in Incheon.

Transition to a Private-Led and Government-Supported System

This convention is the outcome of the Organizing Committee continuously refining its programs and venue preparation through on-site inspections and working-level meetings. The committee operates under the leadership of Organizing Committee Chairman Yoon Deok-chang, Steering Committee Chairman Hwang Byung-gu, and General Assembly Chairperson Ha Kyung-seo. On July 13, a joint on-site inspection was conducted at Songdo ConvensiA with the participation of the chairman and division heads of the organizing committee.

Over the past few years, the World Hansang Convention has shifted its center of gravity toward a privately autonomous operating system. Reflecting this trend, the government also addressed the '24th World Hansang Convention Promotion Plan' as an agenda item during the 13th National Policy Coordination Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on September 3. At this meeting, ways to support domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) entering overseas markets utilizing the Korean economic network and cooperation measures among related ministries were reviewed.

The convention is co-hosted by the World Hansang Committee and the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA), with Incheon Metropolitan City, Maekyung Media Group, and the Korea SMEs and Startups Distribution Agency participating as organizing institutions. Launched in 2002 with the objectives of providing overseas expansion opportunities for domestic SMEs and expanding business networks for diaspora businesspersons at home and abroad, the World Hansang Convention has been held annually, rotating through various domestic local governments as the nation's largest SME business convention. Since the launch of the Overseas Koreans Agency in June 2023, the 21st convention was held in Anaheim, USA, in 2023, and the 23rd convention was held in Atlanta, USA, in 2025.

Focusing on Supporting Overseas Market Channels for Domestic Companies

The venue will feature exhibition booths from 340 companies alongside a K-culture-based corporate exhibition involving approximately 150 global buyers, helping participating companies meet global buyers directly to explore export consultations and business cooperation opportunities. The corporate exhibition will take place in Exhibition Halls 1 to 3 of ConvensiA and will comprise SME product exhibition booths, local government PR pavilions, 1-on-1 consultation sessions, and an IR stage. Additionally, exchange programs between buyers and domestic companies, as well as an overseas expansion program for startups involving global venture capitalists, will be operated.

To support event preparations, Incheon City separately recruited volunteers. Selected volunteers will be active for four days from September 27 to 30, taking on the role of assisting domestic and foreign participants with transportation and event participation. Recruitment closed at 6:00 PM on September 4, and Incheon City plans to leverage its accumulated international event operation know-how to make this convention a venue for mutual growth between Korean businesspersons and domestic entrepreneurs.

First-Ever Joint Hosting with the World Korean Presidents Convention and Next-Generation Convention

The most prominent feature of this year's convention is that it is being held together for the first time with the World Korean Presidents Convention and the World Korean Next-Generation Convention. As these three conventions, which were previously held separately, gather in the same region during the same period, they are expected to foster exchanges transcending generations and fields among global Korean business leaders, Korean association leaders, and next-generation talents.

According to the Overseas Koreans Agency, the World Korean Presidents Convention will be held consecutively from September 27 to 30, and the World Hansang Convention from September 28 to 30, both at Songdo ConvensiA in Incheon. The World Korean Next-Generation Convention will run from September 28 to October 1. The 'Global Korean Week' encompassing these conventions has been set from September 27 to October 1. Koh Sang-goo, former president of the Federation of Korean Associations in Vietnam, serves as the steering committee chairman for the World Korean Presidents Convention, and the Overseas Koreans Agency announced the dates and venues for both conventions during an appointment ceremony on March 26.

Global Korean Week: Five Days of Packed Schedules

Detailed programs for each convention have been arranged throughout Global Korean Week.

In the Global Korean Convention section, a town hall meeting (approx. 200 attendees including compatriots, experts, and relevant ministry officials) will kick off at 1:00 PM on September 28, followed at 5:00 PM by the 20th World Koreans Day Commemoration Ceremony (approx. 1,000 compatriots), which will feature a ceremony delivering the aspirations of overseas Koreans, government awards for meritorious persons, and welcome remarks by diaspora representatives.

Immediately following from 6:05 PM will be the World Koreans Day Memorial Hall and Hansang Enterprise Exhibition, and from 7:00 PM, an integrated opening ceremony (approx. 1,000 compatriots) encompassing generations, fields, and regions will be held, with links to the Diaspora Literature Award presentation ceremony also being pursued.

The following day, September 29, will feature a Social Dialogue for Korean Peninsula Peace Promotion (1:00 PM–3:00 PM, approx. 300 attendees) and a Generation Empathy Roundtable (3:30 PM–4:30 PM, approx. 300 attendees), where deliberative discussions on the situation of the Korean Peninsula and ways to build functional diaspora networks will take place.

The World Korean Presidents Convention will run for three days from September 27 to 29, with approximately 380 Korean association presidents participating in general assemblies, plenary sessions, regional issue discussions, sharing best practices, and adopting a joint resolution. The World Hansang Convention will run for three days from September 28 to 30, featuring corporate exhibition halls, business consultation meetings, and startup competitions involving approximately 3,000 diaspora businesspersons and domestic and foreign entrepreneurs.

The World Korean Next-Generation Convention will continue for four days from September 28 to October 1, with 70 next-generation diaspora association leaders participating in breakout discussions, policy briefings, and visits by key figures. In addition, on September 29, a 'Korean Festival' program will feature performances by overseas Korean artists and a book concert/reading session attended by overseas Korean artists and about 1,200 citizens, highlighting the cultural and artistic activities of overseas Koreans and achievements in diaspora literature.

Kim Kyung-hyup, Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency, emphasized that the network of Korean businesspersons active around the globe serves as a major asset for domestic companies entering new markets, expressing his intent to support the organizing committee so that this convention transcends simple exchange and leads to practical business in exports, investment, and business cooperation. Registration for the World Hansang Convention can be done via Hansangnet (www.hansang.net).

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