The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) hosted the “2025 New York Korean Wave Expo” (KBEE 2025 NEW YORK) from the 6th to the 8th (local time) at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, USA, assisting the overseas expansion of promising domestic consumer goods and services, it was announced on the 9th.
The Korean Wave Expo, which combines Hallyu with export marketing to diversify consumer goods export markets and increase the overseas recognition of small and medium-sized enterprises’ products, celebrated its 25th iteration this year. It was held in North America for the first time, aiming to enhance synergies and premium image between K-culture and overseas expansion amid the peak of the Korean Wave, epitomized by Netflix animation “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”
This year’s event saw participation from 335 companies from home and abroad, attracting about 20,000 visitors over three days, drawing significant local interest. During the event, over 100 premium consumer goods companies specializing in K-beauty, food, and fashion engaged in export consultations with 235 buyers from North and Latin America, resulting in $11 million worth of export contracts and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) being signed on-site.
The opening ceremony was attended by Lee Sang-ho, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Korea in New York, and Kang Kyung-sung, President of KOTRA, with Korean Wave ambassadors Ha Ji-won, Taemin, and Hwasa holding celebratory performances and fan events.
A representative from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy remarked, “The K-culture-linked export strategy executed for the first time in North America is meaningful in expanding the local presence of small and medium enterprises,” adding, “We will continue to pursue the diversification of export markets through events like the upcoming Malaysian Korean Wave Expo in December and support the growth of K-consumer goods into global brands.”