SEOUL, 14 November 2014 – Nine food and beverage companies from each of the 10 ASEAN member states, including the Philippines, participated at the food-themed “ASEAN Trade Fair 2014” at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Centre (COEX) in southern Seoul on 12-15 November 2014.

The inaugural stand-alone ASEAN trade exhibition was organised by the ASEAN-Korea Center to introduce and promote a wide selection of Southeast Asian food products to the Korean market, said AKC Secretary General Hae-Moon Chung at the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN Trade Fair on Wednesday, 12 November 2014. “I am confident that the ASEAN Trade Fair will play an important role in further promoting economic cooperation between ASEAN and Korea by informing the Korean business community of the potential of ASEAN’s food and beverage industry, as well as raising public awareness and understanding of ASEAN:s culinary culture,” he told the audience. Speaking as chair of the ASEAN Committee in Seoul, Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez lauded the choice of “Food Treasures of ASEAN” as the exhibition theme as correct, given that “food…is without exaggeration the biggest contributor to equitable socio-economic development” in practically the whole Southeast Asian region. “Food production involves the largest and widest segments of the population, from farming and fishing communities, to resource suppliers and vendors, all the way to packaging, logistics, wholesalers and retailers,” Ambassador Hernandez told the audience composed of his fellow diplomats, food industry experts, exhibitors, buyers and journalists. He said the 90 companies participating at the ASEAN Trade Fair come from the food and agriculture sectors, which represent about 45 percent of 524 million people in ASEAN. Apart from helping the rural economy and helping ensure broad-based inclusive growth in ASEAN, Korean companies that buy from ASEAN food and agriculture companies will be able to Korea’s future as well, the Philippine’s top envoy in Seoul said. “Given that Korea imports most of its food, by buying ASEAN now, you will essentially help finance the viability of a major food producer close to home and guarantee future supplies to Korea,” Ambassador Hernandez told Korean buyers at the fair. At the opening, Prof. Sung Ki-hyub of Daelim University’s hotel cooking department, led a cooking demonstration to show how to make Korean meals using ingredients from ASEAN countries. As an example, he made a dish he called “Asean fried rice” using Lao rice and corn, Brunei’s blue shrimp, the Philippines’ crab meat, Indonesian okra and Cambodian pepper. “There are so many great ingredients from ASEAN countries that can be used to make dishes that are also palatable for Koreans,” said Sung. “I hope the trade of food resources between these countries and Korea become more active so that recipes can become more diversified in Korea.” Bilateral trade volume between ASEAN and Korea reached $135.3 billion in 2013, making the 10-member regional grouping as Korea’s second-largest trade partner after China. The two sides aim to propel trade volumes to $150 billion by 2015, and $200 billion by 2020 through a bilateral free trade agreement that has been in force since June 2007. As part of its efforts to promote ASEAN trade, the AKC organised the “Korean Market Access Seminar on ASEAN Agricultural Products” in February this year to provide ASEAN participants an opportunity to learn more about Korea’s import regulations and quarantine procedures. It also hosted the “Trade Facilitation Seminar on the Food Industry between ASEAN and Korea” on Tuesday, 11 November 2014 to instruct ASEAN businessmen on Korea’s imported food regulations as well as strategies in using the ASEAN-ROK Free Trade Agreement. Asia’s ethnic foods and ingredients show, the International Food Exhibition, will be held in Manila, Philippines, from May 21-24 next year. The ASEAN Trade Fair was held as part of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations, which will culminate in the celebration of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit in Busan on 11-12 December 2014. -END-