Trade barriers still bog down K-food firms: lobby group head

Korea Food Industry Association chairman Park Jin-sun said trade barriers abroad are still holding back K-food firms’ export growth in Seoul on Tuesday. He said member companies face tariffs, customs, certificate requirements and food regulations in foreign markets, along with supply-chain problems and weaker won conditions. KFIA will launch a Food Firm Support Center next month to advise companies on business challenges, and Park said Africa and India are promising markets.

Park Jin-sun was speaking at a press conference in Seoul marking his first year as chairman of the Korea Food Industry Association.

He said KFIA represents more than 190 small to large food manufacturers, including CJ CheilJedang, Daesang, Otoki, Nongshim, Samyang Foods and Lotte Wellfood.

KFIA plans to launch the Food Firm Support Center next month, with consultations available by phone, online and through on-site visits.

Park said member companies have been discussing alternative trade routes for ingredients, materials and product shipping since the onset of the Middle East crisis.

He described Africa and India as promising overseas markets for K-food firms and said a business-to-business matching event in Egypt drew stronger local interest than expected.

Published Sep 29, 2026 2:59 pm KST

Visitors taste Nongshim products at its booth at the 2026 K-Expo Mexico, held at the World Trade Center International Convention and Exhibition Center in Mexico City from Thursday to Sunday. Courtesy of Nongshim

Korean food manufacturers, despite K-food’s growing presence in global markets, continue to face hurdles from overseas trade barriers that constrain further export growth, according to the head of the country’s major food industry lobby group, Tuesday.

Park Jin-sun, chairman of the Korea Food Industry Association (KFIA), said difficulties faced by the group’s member companies ranged from tariff to custom, certificates and food regulations in foreign markets. Global supply chains that prevent Korea’s imports of necessary materials for the industry also posed a threat.

Issues related to food safety, production technologies, eligibility for government subsidy programs and sustainable operation practices were also major concerns for the companies.

Korea Food Industry Association (KFIA) Chairman Park Jin-sun speaks during a press conference marking his first year as head of the lobby group at its headquarters in Seoul's Seocho District, Tuesday. Courtesy of KFIA

“We have witnessed rising crude oil prices worldwide, tightening naphtha supplies, disrupting packaging operations and a weakening Korean won,” Park said during a press conference in Seoul marking his first year as chairman.

“Not just our importers, our exporters seeking to expand their global markets also suffered from various trade barriers. We have identified those barriers that are still abound now. Those barriers can only be resolved through government-to-government talks. We, as a lobby group for the companies, will start being more aggressive in tackling those barriers from now on.”

KFIA is joined by over 190 small- to large-size food manufacturers here. Big name exporters such as CJ CheilJedang, Daesang, Otoki, Nongshim, Samyang Foods and Lotte Wellfood are among the members.

Next month, KFIA will launch the Food Firm Support Center to provide member and nonmember companies with advice on business challenges that Park mentioned. Consultations will be available by phone and online, as well as through on-site visits.

“Following the onset of the Middle East crisis, our member companies and the government have been discussing and trying to find alternative trade routes for ingredients, materials and product shipping,” he said.

“Many of the challenges food companies face in the field can only be addressed by experts who understand the food industry. We will operate the center with a strong focus on their practical needs so that it can become the most reliable point of contact for food companies.”

On the potential of overseas markets, Park pointed to Africa and India as promising destinations for K-food companies.

“Africa will be an enormous market with a great export potential for K-food firms within the next 10 years. At a recent business-to-business matching event in Egypt joined by 16 K-food firms, we witnessed a greater volume of local interests than we had expected,” he said.

韩国食品工业协会会长朴镇善周二在首尔表示，海外贸易壁垒仍然阻碍着韩国食品企业的出口增长。他指出，会员企业在海外市场面临着关税、海关、认证要求和食品法规等诸多挑战，此外还有供应链问题和韩元疲软等因素。韩国食品工业协会将于下月启动食品企业支持中心，为企业提供业务挑战方面的咨询服务。朴镇善还表示，非洲和印度是极具潜力的市场。

朴镇善在首尔举行的新闻发布会上发表了讲话，此次发布会标志着他担任韩国食品工业协会会长一周年。

他表示，韩国食品工业协会 (KFIA) 代表着 190 多家大大小小的食品制造商，其中包括 CJ 第一制糖、大成食品、大时食品、农心食品、三养食品和乐天食品。

KFIA计划下个月推出食品企业支持中心，提供电话、在线和现场访问咨询服务。

Park表示，自中东危机爆发以来，成员公司一直在讨论原料、材料和产品运输的替代贸易路线。

他将非洲和印度描述为韩国食品公司很有前景的海外市场，并表示在埃及举办的企业对企业洽谈活动比预期更能引起当地人的兴趣。

发布于2026年9月29日下午2:59（韩国标准时间）

在2026年墨西哥韩国博览会（K-Expo Mexico）上，参观者在农心展位品尝农心产品。该博览会于周四至周日在墨西哥城世界贸易中心国际会展中心举行。图片由农心提供。

据韩国主要食品行业游说团体负责人周二表示，尽管韩国食品在全球市场的份额不断增长，但韩国食品制造商仍然面临海外贸易壁垒的阻碍，这些壁垒限制了出口的进一步增长。

韩国食品工业协会（KFIA）会长朴镇善表示，该协会成员企业面临的困难包括关税、海关、认证以及海外市场的食品法规等。此外，阻碍韩国进口行业所需原材料的全球供应链也构成威胁。

食品安全、生产技术、政府补贴计划的资格以及可持续运营实践等问题也是各公司关注的重点。

韩国食品工业协会（KFIA）会长朴镇善周二在首尔瑞草区KFIA总部举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话，庆祝他担任该协会会长一周年。图片由KFIA提供。

朴正熙在首尔举行的新闻发布会上表示：“我们目睹了全球原油价格上涨、石脑油供应紧张、包装作业中断以及韩元贬值，这些都标志着他担任董事长一周年。”

“不仅是我们的进口商，那些寻求拓展全球市场的出口商也面临着各种贸易壁垒。我们已经查明了目前仍然存在的这些壁垒。这些壁垒只能通过政府间对话来解决。作为企业游说团体，我们将从现在开始更加积极主动地应对这些壁垒。”

韩国食品工业协会（KFIA）拥有超过190家成员企业，涵盖大中小型食品生产商。其中包括CJ第一制糖、大成食品、大时食品、农心食品、三养食品和乐天食品等知名出口企业。

下个月，韩国食品工业协会（KFIA）将启动食品企业支持中心，为会员企业和非​​会员企业提供朴先生提到的业务挑战方面的咨询服务。咨询方式包括电话咨询、在线咨询以及现场访问。

他说：“中东危机爆发后，我们的成员公司和政府一直在讨论并试图寻找替代的贸易路线，以运输原料、材料和产品。”

“食品公司在实际工作中面临的许多挑战，只有了解食品行业的专家才能解决。我们将以他们实际的需求为中心来运营该中心，使其成为食品公司最可靠的咨询点。”

谈及海外市场的潜力，朴先生指出非洲和印度是韩国食品公司很有前景的目的地。

“未来十年，非洲将成为韩国食品企业巨大的出口市场。在最近于埃及举办的一场有16家韩国食品企业参加的B2B对接活动中，我们看到了比预期更多的本地企业兴趣，”他说道。