The Nonsan City has strategically targeted the global market
By Feature Editor Lee Sam-sun, Reporter Kim Soo-bin
Since the embarkment of the eighth civil administration, the Nonsan City has strategically set its target at the global market. In February and March 2023, the Nonsan City signed an export agreement worth 38 million USD (about 50 billion KRW) with the Southeast Asian market, proving the excellence and success of the Nonsan agricultural products overseas.
After being introduced to Nonsan agricultural products, customers in the Southeast Asian countries sought out 'Nonsan' one after another. As a result, in September of the same year, an agreement between the Nonsan City and the Bangkok City was signed to co-host an agri-food fair, marking Nonsan City's grand debut on the world stage.
On the 14th, the long-awaited opening ceremony started. On the first official day of the fair, Mayor Baik Sung-hyun organized a schedule to solidify the partnership with Bangkok, Thailand. First, he visited Thammasat University, which is home to some of Thailand's most prominent scholars, and spoke to Korean students, expressing his friendship and affection for Thailand and Korea, and promoting the world's best Nonsan strawberries. He also invited students, the future of Thailand, to visit the Nonsan City, the Republic of Korea.
The Nonsan City has strategically targeted the global market since the beginning of the 8th Civil Administration. In February and March 2023, the Nonsan City signed an export agreement worth USD38 million (about 50 billion KRW) with the Southeast Asian market, proving the success of the Nonsan agricultural products overseas. After being introduced to the Nonsan agricultural products, customers in Southeast Asia sought out and cried out, 'Nonsan! Nonsan!'--one after another.
As was next on the agenda, Mayor Paik attended a friendly exchange program with the Bangkok City, Thailand. The event was attended by Bangkok Mayor Chadchart Sittipunt, Korean Ambassador to Thailand Park Yong-min, officials from the city of Bangkok, Thailand, and members of the Nonsan City Council, which helped deepen the exchange between the two cities.
The opening ceremony symbolized the friendship between the two cities through a traditional wedding demonstration, with the attendance of the mayors of the two cities who officiated the event, and Ambassador Park Yong-min served as the officiant, making the ceremony even more meaningful.
The subsequent performances by Korean, Thai, and bilateral idols further energized the fair. The opening ceremony attracted a record 35,000 visitors, making the first night of the fair a grand affair.
Attendees at the exchange agreement between the Nonsan City and Bangkok City.
On the second day in Bangkok, the morning schedule brought a big surprise. The city signed export agreements worth USD23 million with seven countries around the world (Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Japan, the United States, and Indonesia).
The fact that the United States and Japan, who are known as representative strawberry producers, also signed export agreements proves the potential of the Nonsan strawberries.
At the Convention ceremony, Mayor Baek of the Nonsan City explained the five policy directions that led to the transformation and innovation of agriculture in Nonsan (reduction of agricultural production costs, production of excellent agricultural products, industrialization of agriculture, globalization of agriculture, and specialization of agriculture).
In addition, Mayor Baek spoke to more than 40 buyers from all over the world with his attachment and vision for agriculture, including the establishment of an agricultural product distribution support center and the hiring of distribution specialists to expand the sales of Nonsan's excellent agricultural products both domestically and internationally, and the launch of the trusted agricultural product co-brand.
There was no time to rest. After a great harvest of export agreements, the booths of companies from Nonsan City (CJ CheilJedang, Target Dives, Hanpo, Human Tech, etc.) at the fairgrounds received the surprise news that a human tech company signed an export agreement worth USD 50,000 (KRW 67 million). This was encouraging in that it recognized the excellence of the company's products in overseas markets and opened up export sales channels to the global market.
It was the second day of the event. The excellent agricultural products from Nonsan City attracted visitors of all ages and nationalities. In particular, the performance program tailored to the preferences of Thai locals and the cooking show with Thai influencers spread to Thailand and the rest of the world through social media.
Mayor Baek Sung-hyun expresses his gratitude for the Agri-Food Export Agreement
The final day dawned. The market continued to sell directly to visitors until the last day of the festival, and not only the market staff, but also the event organizers, worked tirelessly to promote the event.
Cover Dance, Challenge, was staged at the outdoor venue. The teams showed off their skills and took the competition seriously as they performed to the popularity of K-POP. Visitors were enthusiastic about their performances and filled the fairgrounds with cheers.
At the closing ceremony, Mayor expressed his confidence by saying, "I am confident that we have the charm to be loved as the world's favorite strawberry through bold challenges." His confidence was well founded. The fair was a huge success, with 350,000 visitors, 10 tons of strawberries sold, and export agreements worth US$23 million (about 30.7 billion won) over the three days.
In March of last year, Mayor Baek announced the 2027 Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo at the strawberry festival. The long-cherished dream is now within reach with the success of the event.
"The great work of Nonsan City is just beginning," said Nonsan Mayor Baek. "We are confident that Nonsan will surprise the world with its dazzling value. We are confident that Nonsan will surprise the world with the dazzling value of Nonsan. We will tirelessly challenge ourselves with bold changes and innovation. Please look forward to it." Meanwhile, the city of Nonsan is gearing up for the 26th Nonsan Strawberry Festival, which will be held at the Nonsan Citizen Family Park from the 21st to the 24th of next month. The subtitle is "Falling in Love with Nonsan Strawberries," and the city is looking forward to a day of excitement with an abundance of attractions and experience events that will immerse visitors in the charm of Nonsan strawberries.