[비즈한국] The government is accelerating efforts to consolidate overseas offices of public institutions scattered across the globe into unified hubs. Following the designation of five priority cities—Los Angeles (LA), Hanoi, Nairobi, Dubai, and Brussels—the government recently added Beijing and Dakar to the list. This consolidation is a response to long-standing criticism that local Korean companies trying to expand abroad faced difficulties in getting proper support due to fragmented overseas offices.
However, problems remain, as many overseas offices are still excluded from this integration, and some regions with high concentrations of offices have not been selected. Critics also point out that since the government assigns specific goal-oriented projects to each hub, companies seeking support for purposes outside those defined roles may struggle to receive assistance.
President Lee Jae-myung stated at his first anniversary press conference on the 8th, "We are preparing for the relocation of public enterprises to regional areas and will move them as much as possible," adding, "Dispersion reduces the impact of concentration. This time, we intend to move them together." This implies that public enterprises with similar functions will be grouped in the same region. This integration strategy by the Lee Jae-myung administration is not limited to domestic efforts; the government is also proceeding with the 'K-Maru' project to bring overseas offices of public institutions under one roof.
Public institutions currently operate various overseas entities, including corporations, branches, and offices, to carry out policy functions such as export support, development cooperation, and financial assistance. These overseas offices play a vital role in executing policies, such as assisting Korean companies' expansion, conducting international cooperation projects, and gathering local information. However, amid various 'K-waves,' the proliferation of these offices has led to criticism that companies are forced to travel between multiple locations to seek support rather than receiving streamlined assistance.
In response, the government introduced the K-Maru policy, a collaborative platform where other public institutions move into vacant space within Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) trade centers. Following the designation of the first five priority cities—LA, Hanoi, Nairobi, Dubai, and Brussels—in February, the government added Beijing and Dakar in May.
However, critics point out that because each K-Maru has designated support projects, companies with different business objectives may still have to visit multiple offices just like in the past. The LA K-Maru houses the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. within the KOTRA trade center, creating a support system tailored for K-Food and consumer goods. In Hanoi, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation are housed within the KOTRA trade center to build a one-stop system for finance and marketing to win large-scale projects. The Nairobi K-Maru supports entry into infrastructure projects aligned with urbanization demands by hosting the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corp. at the KOTRA center. In Dubai and Brussels, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. and the Korea Testing Laboratory reside within KOTRA to support technical certification for the Middle East and Europe, respectively. Across the five K-Maru hubs, cooperation systems have been established between a total of seven public institutions.
Considering that there are 11 public institution offices in LA, 26 in Hanoi, and 10 in Dubai, the number of institutions that have joined is not particularly high. Ultimately, companies pursuing business outside the scope of a specific K-Maru's purpose still have to visit multiple locations. Questions have also been raised about whether Nairobi or Brussels are appropriate locations for K-Maru, given that they are not regions where many public institutions have historically established a presence.
Currently, public institutions operate 715 overseas offices in 218 cities across 113 countries. Jakarta, Indonesia, has the highest number with 29 offices, followed by Hanoi (26) and Beijing (23). Jakarta, the city with the most offices, was excluded from the K-Maru project. Shanghai (13), which is far from Beijing, and Ho Chi Minh City (12), which is distant from Hanoi, also host numerous offices. In Europe, public institution offices are concentrated in cities such as Paris (11), Warsaw (10), and London (10), leading to calls that the consolidation of overseas offices in these regions is urgent to better support the expansion of Korean companies.