ECCK News
General News
In September, the Chamber actively involved in facilitating dialogues with the Korean and European governments. The highlights include holding a virtual press conference for the launch of White Paper 2021
ECCK Holds Virtual Press Conference for the Launch of White Paper 2021
September 29, 2021
ECCK held a virtual press conference on September 29 for the publication of the ECCK white paper for 2021, which contains recommendations of European companies regarding the Korean business environment.
ECCK explained the continuing economic challenges and opportunities faced by the European companies in Korea due to the COVID-19 outbreak and discussed the regulatory and structural challenges still remaining in the Korean market. The Chamber shared 114 recommendations and regulatory issues across 16 industries, including automotive, beer, wine & spirits (BWS), chemical, environment, food, healthcare, etc. included in the white paper.
The press conference was attended by Dirk Lukat, ECCK Chairperson and CEO of Schenker Korea, Christoph Heider, ECCK President, H.E. Maria Castillo-Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, as well as chairpersons of ECCK industry committees including Andrew Hongjoong Kim, ECCK Passenger Vehicles Committee Chairperson, Gang-Serk Park, ECCK Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicles Committee Chairperson, Matthew Holmes, ECCK Beer, Wine & Spirits Committee Chairperson and Representative Director of AE Brands Korea, Sukhee Cho, ECCK Chemical Committee Chairperson, Karsten Kuehme, ECCK Food Committee Chairperson and CEO of Nestlé Korea, Erwan Vilfeu, ECCK Healthcare Committee Chairperson and President of Zuellig Pharma Korea, Frederic Lukas, ECCK Energy & Environment Working Group Chairperson to discuss the position of the European companies in Korea.
ECCK Joins European Business Community Roundtable with MOTIE
September 28, 2021
On September 28, ECCK participated in the Roundtable Meeting with Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo at Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
Attended by the community of European foreign chambers of commerce and businesses, the meeting was held to discuss possibilities to strengthen the cooperation between MOTIE and European companies in Korea.
ECCK Chairperson Dirk Lukat touched on deregulation and the wide range of support during his welcoming speech, “In fact, the traditional business needs more room to operate effectively to create more prosperity. Thus, a special focus needs to be put on those companies and eliminating in the best case but at least reducing administrative burden.”
Also, ECCK has been suggesting to reinstate the FIAC (Foreign Investment Advisory Council) and Trade Minister Yeo announced to form the FIAC to establish a regular channel with the foreign investment community.
At the meeting, Chairperson Lukat handed over ECCK White Paper 2021 to Trade Minister Yeo.
ECCK Meeting with KFTC Chairperson Joh Sung Wook
September 10, 2021
On September 10, ECCK hosted a meeting with Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) Chairperson Joh Sung Wook at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. The event was held in the hybrid format that ECCK members joined online.
During the meeting, European business leaders including ECCK Chairperson Dirk Lukat conveyed operational business concerns and recommendations to the KFTC and shared opinions on various industrial issues for the advancement of the business environment in Korea.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Chairperson Lukat. “Even during these uncertain times, the importance of the Korean market for European companies has increased considerably over the past year,” he remarked. “KFTC has achieved to create a foundation for innovative growth and fair economy and we believe the Commission will further push these positive efforts and consequential changes and thus revitalize the market.”
Following the welcoming remarks, the keynote speech was delivered by Chairperson Joh on the topic of ‘Fair Trade Policy Direction in 2nd Half of 2021’. In her speech, Chairperson Joh shared the four major policy areas to promote market competition, ensure a level playing field, protect consumer rights and improve transparency as well as governance system.
“When fair competition takes place in the market, the result of the competition are fairly distributed and market participants are more encouraged to innovate and the benefit of the growth can be spread to SMEs and microbusinesses,” said Chairperson Joh. “Eventually, we are going to achieve more prosperity among all the participants in the economy.”
ECCK Meets KITA Chairman Christopher Koo
September 9, 2021
On September 8, ECCK Chairperson Dirk Lukat paid a courtesy visit to KITA (Korea International Trade Association) Chairman Christopher Koo who is also Chairman of LS Group.
They appreciated the 10th Anniversary of EU-Korea FTA and promised more exchanges of cooperative activities for promoting trade between Europe and Korea. ECCK Chairperson Dirk Lukat handed over the ECCK White Paper 2021 to KITA Chairman Christopher Koo through the opportunity of the courtesy visit.
ECCK President Joins Relay Campaign for ‘World Expo 2030 in Busan’
September 24, 2021
Nominated by H.E. Yoon Soon-gu, South Korean Ambassador to Belgium and the Europen Union, ECCK President Christoph Heider participated in ‘World Expo 2030 in Busan’ Challenge, a national relay social media campaign to promote Busan as the next venue for World Expo 2030.
The challenge was initiated by Busan Metropolitan City and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) to raise people’s interest in Busan’s efforts to host World Expo and generate buzz to help Busan be chosen as the venue for the 2030 event.
“Special thanks to Ambassador Yoon for nominating me to participate in this exciting challenge. As our Chamber actively operates the Busan Chapter, we have the privilege to connect with our Busan members as well as the Busan City. I believe Busan being the next destination for the World Expo would bring great advantages to our community. Next, I would like to nominate Mr. Jacopo Giuman (Secretary General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea) to join this meaningful campaign. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best!”
ECCK Marine and Shipbuilding Committee Meeting at MAN Energy Solutions Korea
September 16, 2021
On September 15, the ECCK Marine and Shipbuilding Committee (M&S CMT) had its third meeting this year. The meeting was generously hosted by Mr. Tommy Rasmussen, the M&S CMT Chairperson (Man Energy Solutions Korea President) at MAN Energy Solutions Korea. The meeting was opened by Ms. Nuri Chung, head of the committee, followed by a general briefing of ECCK by Mr. Christoph Heider, president of the chamber.
Then, the participants had an interesting overview of the maritime current market by Mr. Vidar Dolonen, the M&S CMT Vice-chairperson (DNV Korea Vice President – Regional Manager Korea & Japan Maritime (Country Chair Korea)) and a valuable information session under the topic “Future Maritime Fuels” by the committee’s Chairperson. The meeting ended with a guided tour at MAN Energy Solutions Korea.
Invitation to ‘2021 IPR Conference’
September 17, 2021
The ECCK is hosting its 9th edition of IPR Conference on October 18, 2021. The conference will be held online through Zoom.
The 2021 IPR Conference is co-hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and is supported by NAM & NAM.
During this year’s IPR Conference, experts from both the public and the private sectors will be invited to discuss the topic on trademark and ‘Anti-counterfeiting’.
We hereby invite you to attend this year’s IPR Conference in order to expand your knowledge by hearing from seasoned and distinguished professionals, and discussing with industry experts, enabling you to use your IPR to gain the competitive edge.
Please click the links below for further information.
[English] ECCK 2021 IPR Conference Invitation
[Korean] 주한유럽상공회의소 2021 지식재산권 컨퍼런스 초청장
For RSVP click this LINK
For pictures from last year’s conference, please click HERE
Vaccination Certificates Issued Overseas not yet Accepted
September 6, 2021
The ECCK has received information that vaccination certificates issued overseas are not yet recognized by the Korean authorities. Thus, people vaccinated overseas can unfortunately not benefit from the eased distancing rules for fully – in Korea – vaccinated people. At present, it is only possible to register the vaccination history at the public health service system. In order to do so, people have to visit the public health center and submit the alien registration card as well as the vaccination certificate.
The ECCK assumes that negotiations between European governments and the Republic of Korea are on-going but as those are government-to-government talks, the chamber is as of today not aware about the current status.
New Members for ECCK Advisory Board
September 17, 2021
The ECCK would like to congratulate and warmly welcome Chris Georgiev, Co-Founder & Marketing Director of IMAGGA, Dr. Martin Henkelmann, President & CEO of Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), Jin Choi, MD & Head – Asia of Genii Capital, and Jaroslaw Wasielewski, Managing Director of Towimor as new members of the ECCK Advisory Board.
We look forward to their contribution to the ECCK!
Find us
© Copyright 2021 ECCK · All Rights Reserved