KOTRA forms task force to seize Middle East rebuilding, export openings

By Kim Dong-young Posted : June 23, 2026, 16:50 Updated : June 23, 2026, 16:50
KOTRA headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul/ Courtesy of KOTRA
 
SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - South Korea's state trade promotion agency is mobilizing to help domestic firms recover exports and stake out early positions in Middle East reconstruction markets, betting that a fragile US-Iran ceasefire will reopen commercial doors across the region.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, known as KOTRA, said it convened an emergency review meeting on Tuesday chaired by president Kang Kyung-sung to map its response to the truce between Washington and Tehran.

Heads of 13 trade offices across the Middle East joined by video link to brief headquarters on conditions on the ground, weighing a swift response to the normalization of Hormuz shipping lanes, an early revival of exports to the region and the hunt for promising postwar markets.

KOTRA said it would throw its weight behind exports of defense goods, consumer products and medical devices.

On defense, it plans consultation sessions with state-owned arms makers and government bodies in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman, while courting investment as demand grows to localize maintenance, repair and overhaul work.

The agency also launched a "post-Middle East" task force running five divisions covering trend analysis, export recovery, reconstruction infrastructure, promising exports and logistics.

It said it would expand "Team Korea" public-private ventures to bid on digital infrastructure and energy-security projects, and prepare seminars on Iran's potential opening should US sanctions ease.

"We will deploy a swift and precise strategy centered on entry footholds and promising items, so that companies can not only restore their Middle East exports but also seize fresh opportunities," said Kang.

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