Aegean Mineral Exporters Association, the leader of natural stone exports in Turkey, which strives to turn the historical friendship ties between Turkey and South Korea into a trade bridge in the natural stone sector, participated with 21 companies in the Korea Build Week 24 KINTEX Fair held in Seoul on 2024-10 February. It opened the door to collaborations.
Stating that they, as the Turkish natural stone industry, will focus more on the South Korean market in the coming years, İbrahim Alimoğlu, President of the Aegean Mineral Exporters Association, said that the interest of South Korean importers, architects, designers, interior architects and the KINTEX Fair organizer Messe Esang company during the fair process proved that they made the right decision about the South Korean market. He stated that they have strengthened their belief in the situation and that they see that the money they stole in the South Korean market will be successful and that there is an environment where the use of Turkish natural stones will increase, especially in projects.
Alimoğlu, who informed that they not only participated in the fair in South Korea, but also had very productive meetings with the South Korea International Contractors Association, the Korean Natural Stone Association, and the Korean Importers Association, said, “We had a very useful week in South Korea. Our companies held business meetings with many visitors during the fair. We have started our efforts to take our place at KINTEX Fair with a much more intense participation starting from 2025. With these marketing efforts, we want to end the bleeding experienced by our mining industry in 2023. "We aim to exceed the threshold of 6,5 billion dollars in total in our mining sector and 2 billion dollars in the natural stone sector," he said.
Stating that they organized a cocktail within the scope of KINTEX Fair to which South Korean importers, architects, designers and interior designers were invited, Alimoğlu continued his words as follows: “We gave natural stone bracelets as gifts to the guests who came with the cocktail and filled out the form we placed in the QR code. "We just collected the contact data of people in our target audience in South Korea and laid the groundwork for new collaborations in the coming period."
TURKISH NATURAL STONES ARE ALWAYS FASHION
During KINTEX Fair; Stating that they organized the seminar named "Turkish Natural Stones and 2024 Natural Stone Trend Seminar" to convey Turkish Natural Stones and the trends in the natural stone industry in 2024 to South Korean industry stakeholders, President Alimoğlu said, "Turkey's Seoul Trade Counselor Ayşe Ferdağ Tekin, EMİB Board Member Halilullah Kaya and EMİB Promotion Committee Member Oben İnceler explained that Turkish natural stones, with their diversity, richness of colors and patterns, are in a position to meet the needs of natural stones that are fashionable every year in the world, and that strong and long-term collaborations will be established if they work with the Turkish natural stone industry. It was a productive seminar. "We have the impression that we can reach an export volume of 7 million dollars in the short term, thanks to the fair, seminars and historical ties to South Korea, to which we currently export 100 million dollars," he said.
ALIMOĞLU; “THEY ARE APPETITE TO BUY NATURAL STONE FROM TURKEY”
Aegean Mineral Exporters Association TİM Delegate Burak Alimoğlu, who informed that South Korea makes two-thirds of its natural stone imports from China due to its proximity to China, said that the South Korean marble importers they met at the KINTEX Fair do not purchase directly from Turkey despite their proximity to China. He emphasized that they are keen on this issue. Alimoğlu said, “There is a potential in wholesale sales, but it is a market with rich potential for project-based businesses. "It turned out that we would get results when we concentrated on the South Korean market," he said.
“MORE TURKISH NATURAL STONES WILL BE USED IN THE NEXT SOUTH KOREA PROJECTS”
Stating that they met with Huh Hyouck, president of the Korean Interior Architects and Designers Association, at the "Turkish Natural Stones and 2024 Natural Stone Trend Seminar", EMİB Promotion Committee Member Oben İnceler said, "He watched our presentation in the front row. We also met and exchanged ideas with 2 academicians, 5 of whom are professors, from the Departments of Architecture and Industrial Design at Yonsie University and Hongik University, in order to pave the way for the use of Turkish natural stones in projects. "We have laid the groundwork for the use of much more Turkish natural stones in projects in South Korea in the coming period," he said.
Turkey's Ambassador to Seoul, Murat Tamer, visited the Turkish pavilion on the second day of the KINTEX Fair. Tamer visited the stands of Turkish companies one by one and shared critical information about the South Korean market with Turkish companies. Turkey's Seoul Trade Counselor Ayşe Ferdağ Tekin accompanied the Turkish delegation in NGO visits before the fair and during the fair.
Officials of Turkish companies, who held bilateral meetings with South Korean importers between 21-24 February 2024, invited South Korean business people to the Izmir MARBLE Natural Stone and Technologies Fair to be held in Izmir on 17-20 April 2024.
