🇰🇷 한국어로 읽기 → [세계의 한상들이 인천으로 모인다]
Creating opportunities across borders and connecting people
At the end of this month, Korean business leaders from around the world will gather in Songdo, Incheon.
The 24th World Korean Business Convention 2026.
Scheduled for September 28–30 at Songdo Convensia, the convention is expected to bring together approximately 3,000 businesspeople from Korea and overseas.
Beyond the corporate exhibition and business consultations, people from a wide range of fields—including startups, AI, investment, and next-generation business leadership—will come together in one place.
Source: Incheon Metropolitan City / Official poster for the 24th World Korean Business Convention 2026
Hansang (韓商): People Who Went Out into the World
When we hear the word “Hansang,” we may first think of Koreans doing business overseas.
But when we look more closely, there is a story that cannot be fully explained simply as “Koreans doing business abroad.”
They are people who discovered markets in unfamiliar countries, met people, built businesses, and put down roots in local communities.
And they are people who connect Korean companies with markets around the world.
People who discover opportunities across borders, connect people, and create new value.
In them, I see the spirit of today’s Entrepreneur.
A 120-Year Journey That Began in Incheon
There is also special meaning in the fact that this year’s convention is being held in Incheon.
In 1902, a ship carrying the first Korean emigrants departed from Jemulpo Port.
More than 120 years later, Korean businesspeople who have established themselves around the world are gathering again in Incheon.
During the convention, Songdo Convensia will also host a photo exhibition on the history of Korean migration titled “Across the Sea, Connecting the World.”
A city where the port of departure meets the people returning from around the world.
When I think about that long passage of time, this World Korean Business Convention feels like more than simply a business event.
Source: Incheon Overseas Koreans Welcome Center / Official Korean migration history exhibition poster and historic Jemulpo Port
The World Korean Business Convention I Experienced in California
The World Korean Business Convention is not entirely unfamiliar to me.
I previously participated in a convention held in Gyeongju, Korea, and also attended one held in California in the United States.
In particular, the 21st convention, held in Anaheim, California, in 2023, was the first World Korean Business Convention to be held overseas.
Korean businesspeople who had traditionally gathered in Korea were now meeting in the heart of the vast U.S. market.
With the change of location, the convention also felt different.
Seeing Korean businesspeople who had built businesses around the world meet companies from Korea seeking new markets showed the possibilities of the global “Hansang” network.
Source: Overseas Koreans Agency, 2023 World Korean Business Convention, Anaheim, California
And Now, Back to Incheon
This year, the World Korean Business Convention returns to Korea.
And it is being held in Incheon, the departure point of Korean migration more than 120 years ago.
This time, we will be participating as well.
But what we will exhibit or introduce is not the only reason I am looking forward to this convention.
Who will we meet?
What stories will we hear?
And what new possibilities might we discover through those encounters?
That is what I am looking forward to most.
Source: Official website of the 24th World Korean Business Convention
In the End, Business Is a Story About People
Business is recorded in numbers.
Sales, exports, investments, contracts….
But before those numbers are created, there is always a meeting between people.
Someone creates a new product, someone discovers a new market, and someone else connects the two.
Perhaps the reason the World Korean Business Convention has continued for so many years lies ultimately in those connections.
Meeting people, discovering opportunities, and creating new value.
I am curious to see who will meet in Incheon this time and what new stories will begin.
After the convention, rather than introducing the event itself, I hope to return with stories about the people I actually meet there.
Korean business leaders from around the world are gathering in Incheon.
And a new story is about to begin.
