Small and mid-sized Korean exporters say their toughest challenge in entering overseas markets is finding verified, high-purchasing-power buyers.
According to a survey on 2026 overseas marketing support programs released by the Korea International Trade Association on the 20th, 70.3% of small and mid-sized exporters cited difficulty in identifying buyers and trading partners as their biggest obstacle. The survey of 1,090 companies was conducted from the 7th to the 13th of last month and allowed multiple responses.
Other major difficulties included a lack of overseas marketing and promotional capacity (56.5%), insufficient funds and trouble raising financing (39.3%), and coping with regulations such as overseas certification and customs clearance (32.5%).
Asked what support they need to expand exports, the largest share of respondents pointed to identifying and vetting promising buyers (54.3%). That was followed by connections to local distributors and agents (41.2%), one-on-one consultations and matching with buyers (39.8%), and support for participating in overseas trade shows (34.9%).
When asked which part of overseas marketing support should be strengthened first, 71.2% said securing buyers with strong purchasing power and a high likelihood of doing business — underscoring demand for help in identifying and vetting buyers and linking them with companies.
The countries where these firms hope to enter or expand exports within the next three years were led by established core markets: the United States (51.7%), Japan (35.7%), China (26.3%) and Vietnam (25.1%).
The rise of Middle Eastern markets also stood out. The United Arab Emirates (19.3%) ranked fifth and Saudi Arabia (15.0%) placed 10th. The trade association said it plans to reflect the findings in future region-specific export marketing support programs.
"Difficulty in finding overseas buyers remains the biggest obstacle for small exporters and a task that export support agencies must solve," said Chung Hee-chul, head of the association's overseas marketing division. "We will provide continued support by linking offline touchpoints such as exhibitions and business meetings with online systems including tradeKorea and the Global Matching Center."
Meanwhile, large companies including Hyundai Mobis (012330), Hyundai Rotem (064350) and LG Electronics (066570) have also been working recently to win new customers in order to expand overseas sales.
