Minister of SMEs and Startups Oh Youngju (second from left) and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon (left) in May talk with merchants at the opening ceremony of K-Shopping Festa at Guam-ro Culture Square in Busan's Haeundae-gu District.

By Park Hye Ri
Photos = Ministry of SMEs and Startups

K-Shopping Festa will be held domestically on- and offline as well as abroad from Aug. 28 to Sept. 29.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups on Aug. 25 said it will host the festival's opening ceremony on Aug. 29 in Hanoi, Vietnam, the first time for the event to be held abroad.

Marking its fifth anniversary this year, K-Shopping Festa is held three times every year in May, September and December to stimulate consumption of goods made by domestic small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and small business. The ministry said the hosting of the opening ceremony in Vietnam, one of Korea's key markets, seeks to support the global advances of products from SMEs and small business owners.

First, leading SMEs and small business owners will attend export consultations in Hanoi, and pop-up stores will introduce promising export items including cosmetics and food to locals. The items at the event will be sold on Shopee, Southeast Asia's largest e-commerce platform, and G-Market Global to tap the region's lucrative market.

A store will also exclusively display and sell health and beauty products from 50 small business owners. Items from about 800 leading SMEs will be sold at discounts on eight global distribution platforms including Amazon, Taobo and Rakuten. 

Other promotional events will be held on the sidelines of this year's Jakarta International Premium Products Fair scheduled from Sept. 5-8 in Indonesia.

In Korea, K-Shopping Festa will be combined with 46 festivals and events throughout the nation including the Muju Firefly Festival (Aug. 31 to Sept. 8) in Muju-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province, and the Mungyeong Omija (Schisandra Berry) Festival (Sept. 13-15) in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

Online platforms such as Naver and Post Office Shopping will offer up to 30% off products from some 500 stores nationwide.

Food, cultural performing arts and interactive events will be held in the evening at 34 specialized markets for locals and tourists.

Seven large distribution companies to participate in the Korea Sale Festa in November will hold exhibitions of items made by SMEs and small business owners at 12 locations.

Information on product discounts and events during K-Shopping Festa will be released in order on the event's official website (k-shoppingfesta.org) and its KakaoTalk channel.

"We're preparing for K-Shopping Festa in September as anticipated by consumers," Minister of SMEs and Startups Oh Youngju said. "We hope that the people enjoy visiting nearby commercial districts, traditional markets and festivals in regions during the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday and festival period and give strength to K-Shopping Festa by purchasing goods from SMEs and small business owners at inexpensive prices."