The state-run trade promotion agency said Monday it has launched a consulting program for small and medium-sized businesses to help them develop trade strategies following the recent trade deal between Seoul and Washington.
Last week, South Korea struck a trade agreement with the United States under which Washington began imposing 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods, down from the initially proposed 25 percent. The reciprocal tariffs went into effect Friday (US time).
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said customs and trade experts began operating consulting desks at its headquarters in southern Seoul on Friday to help small exporters set up business strategies under the new South Korea-US trade deal.
"With the reciprocal tariff rate confirmed at 15 percent, it has become necessary for exporters to devise full-fledged countermeasures," KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung said.
The agency said its separate hotline, launched in February, has offered 6,023 consulting sessions as of Friday.
KOTRA added it will also offer on-site consulting programs to exporters in 12 major regions nationwide through September to bolster their preparedness for tariff-related challenges. (Yonhap)
