Buykorea
buyKOREA is a government-operated B2B e-marketplace run by KOTRA (South Korea's trade promotion agency) that connects overseas buyers with Korean suppliers and manufacturers across 11 industries, supporting the full B2B transaction lifecycle and offering a structured Global Partnership Program for enterprise sourcing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1962
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Buykorea does
buyKOREA is a B2B e-marketplace platform operated by KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), a South Korean government trade promotion agency headquartered in Seocho-gu, Seoul. KOTRA was established in 1962 as Korea Trade-Association and rebranded in 1999; the buyKOREA platform itself was launched in 2009 as an export support service. The platform's core product is a B2B e-marketplace that enables Korean suppliers to promote products to international buyers and supports offer, negotiation, contract, and payment workflows between members.
The platform's differentiating technology asset is an Industrial Mapping Database cataloging 29,270 Korean companies across 11 major industries (Automotive, Medical, Machinery, Aerospace, Semiconductor, etc.), which powers the Global Partnership (GP) Program — a structured 4-step supplier matching service (demand identification, partner recommendation, tailored business meetings, gap-closing activities) supported by 14 expert Korean institutes covering R&D, technology evaluation, trade insurance, and financing (KIAT, KEIT, K-sure, KOTEC, KIST, KITECH, OSP, among others). Distribution is augmented by 127+ KOTRA overseas trade offices and a trade show platform (e.g., Seoul Food 2026, Korea AI Visionaries).
buyKOREA is offered free of charge to both Korean exporters and overseas buyers as part of KOTRA's statutory mandate to promote Korean exports; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Revenue mechanics are therefore indirect — the platform does not charge marketplace commissions or listing fees in the conventional sense. Customer segmentation is vertical (by industry) and bilateral: Korean sellers/exporters (supply side, 29,270+ in the database) and overseas buyers (demand side, including multinationals such as Volkswagen, Boeing, Tesla, NVIDIA, Airbus, Toyota, BMW, GM, Amazon, Foxconn, and Thales via the GP Program). The primary GTM motions are self-service marketplace listing, event-driven trade shows, and enterprise field sales through KOTRA's overseas office network.
Buykorea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Buykorea
- Legal name
- Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)
- Website
- https://buykorea.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1962
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- buyKOREA is a government-operated B2B e-marketplace run by KOTRA (South Korea's trade promotion agency) that connects overseas buyers with Korean suppliers and manufacturers across 11 industries, supporting the full B2B transaction lifecycle and offering a structured Global Partnership Program for enterprise sourcing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Buykorea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Trade Marketplace
- NAICS
- Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (425)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-border B2B/Wholesale Trade Marketplaces (CRAFAJAC), Procurement Helpdesk & Stakeholder Support (BPAAAJAD), Wholesale-to-Business Online Ordering (B2B Food E-Commerce) (AFAIAMAD)
Keywords
Where Buykorea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Buykorea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- B2B E-Marketplace Services: Platform enables e-commerce transactions between overseas buyers and Korean sellers including offer, negotiation, contract, and payment. Services include product listings, inquiry management, trade show participation, and buyer-seller matching.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Buykorea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Buykorea (buyKOREA) is a B2B e-marketplace operated by KOTRA that enables South Korean companies to promote products to overseas buyers and complete export transactions online, including offer, negotiation, contract, and payment. The platform layers a structured Global Partnering (GP) Program on top, in which KOTRA's overseas trade offices actively match multinational buyers with Korean suppliers through demand identification, industrial database matching, tailored business meetings, and gap-closing support from 14 expert institutes.
Product overview
buyKOREA is an export support platform operated by KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) that consists of a B2B e-Marketplace as its core product, enabling online commerce between Korean sellers and overseas buyers. The platform is structured around four interconnected services: the main e-Marketplace for product listings and transactions, the Global Partnering (GP) Program for long-term strategic supplier matching using an industrial mapping database of 29,270 Korean companies, a Trade Show Platform hosting virtual and physical exhibitions, and a Korean Seller Directory. The platform leverages KOTRA's global network of overseas offices for offline verification and inquiry collection, and integrates social login (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn) for buyer authentication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Global Partnering Program: A tailored service program that connects global companies with Korean partners to improve their value chain, featuring gap-closing activities and cooperation with expert institutes
Products and services
- buyKOREA e-Marketplace B2B e-marketplace operated by KOTRA that enables South Korean companies to promote their products to overseas buyers and connect for e-commerce transactions including offer, negotiation, contract, and payment. Supports online shopping carts of up to 1,000 products or 50 per company within 90 days.
- Global Partnering (GP) Program Long-term partnering service that connects global companies with Korean suppliers through demand identification, Industrial Mapping Database matching (29,270 companies across 11 industries), tailored business meetings, factory tours, and a Co-operation Platform of 14 expert institutes for gap-closing activities.
- Trade Show Platform Virtual and physical trade show listings and exhibitions connecting international buyers with Korean suppliers, featuring industry-specific events such as Seoul Food (one of Asia's four largest food exhibitions) and Korea AI Visionaries.
- Korean Seller Directory Directory of verified Korean manufacturers and suppliers organized by industry categories (Commercial, Materials, Service) for overseas buyers to search and connect with potential partners across 11 major industries.
Companies that use Buykorea
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Buykorea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature1 record
Buykorea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency)coreKOTRA is the parent organization operating buyKOREA. It provides the platform infrastructure, global trade office network, and institutional backing for the B2B marketplace and GP Program. All services are delivered under KOTRA's mandate to promote Korean exports.
- OSP (Office of Strategic R&D Planning)corePart of the 14-member GP Co-operation Platform. Evaluates and executes R&D support for Korean partners in the Global Partnering Program.
- KIAT (Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology)corePart of the GP Co-operation Platform providing technology advancement support to Korean partners.
- KEIT (Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology)corePart of the GP Co-operation Platform evaluating industrial technology for Korean partners.
- K-sure (Korea Trade Insurance Corporation)corePart of the GP Co-operation Platform. Provides trade insurance to assure Korean partner's financial reliability in the Global Partnering Program.
- KOTEC (Korea Technology Finance Corporation)corePart of the GP Co-operation Platform providing technology financing support to Korean partners.
- KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology)corePart of the GP Co-operation Platform providing scientific and technical expertise for Korean partners.
- KITECH (Korea Institute of Industrial Technology)corePart of the GP Co-operation Platform providing industrial technology support.
- VolkswagenflagshipGlobal partner in the GP Program sourcing Korean automotive parts and components for their supply chain.
- BoeingflagshipGlobal partner sourcing aerospace parts, lightweight technology, and eco-friendly parts from Korean vendors through the GP Program.
- TeslaflagshipGlobal partner sourcing Korean automotive parts and technology through the GP Program.
- General MotorsflagshipGlobal partner sourcing Korean automotive components through the GP Program.
- ToyotaflagshipGlobal partner connecting with Korean automotive suppliers through the GP Program.
- AirbusflagshipGlobal partner connecting with Korean aerospace suppliers through the GP Program.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Buykorea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DHgate: Cross-border B2B marketplace focused on Asian suppliers with self-serve listing, escrow, and logistics tooling; competes on transactional depth rather than institutional matchmaking.
- Alibaba (Alibaba.com): Largest global B2B cross-border marketplace connecting international buyers with Asian (including Korean) suppliers — direct competitor for buyKOREA's overseas-buyer-acquisition use case and supplier-discovery workflow.
- Global Sources: Hong Kong-based B2B sourcing platform running trade shows (e.g., GSSE) and online supplier directories — closely comparable online-plus-events model serving international buyers sourcing Asian products.
- Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC): Government-operated trade-promotion agency running its own B2B sourcing platform (hktdc.com) and physical trade shows; the most structurally similar peer given shared public-agency model and cross-border B2B mandate.
- Made-in-Korea (various platforms): Korean supplier B2B sourcing sites directly competing for the same 'discover Korean manufacturers' buyer intent that buyKOREA captures.
- Kompass: International B2B company directory and sourcing platform operating across 60+ countries — analogous to buyKOREA's supplier-directory and matchmaking functionality at global scale.
- TradeKey: Global B2B marketplace headquartered in Pakistan serving international buyers sourcing from Asian manufacturers; directly comparable platform business model.
- ECVV: China-based B2B e-commerce marketplace with membership tiers, escrow, and supplier verification — comparable in business model and target buyer to buyKOREA.
- ExportHub: Cross-border B2B marketplace focused on connecting global buyers with suppliers across multiple categories; comparable cross-border B2B transactions model.
Broad incumbents
- ThomasNet: Long-standing North American industrial B2B sourcing platform (Thomas Publishing) connecting buyers with US/Canadian suppliers — broader incumbent that intersects buyKOREA's industrial-buyer audience but operates in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Buykorea social profiles
Digital presenceBuykorea compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Buykorea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Buykorea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Buykorea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Buykorea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Buykorea
What does Buykorea do?
Buykorea (buyKOREA) is a B2B e-marketplace operated by KOTRA that enables South Korean companies to promote products to overseas buyers and complete export transactions online, including offer, negotiation, contract, and payment. The platform layers a structured Global Partnering (GP) Program on top, in which KOTRA's overseas trade offices actively match multinational buyers with Korean suppliers through demand identification, industrial database matching, tailored business meetings, and gap-closing support from 14 expert institutes.
Is Buykorea a public or private company?
Buykorea is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Buykorea founded?
Buykorea was founded in 1962. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Buykorea based?
Buykorea is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Buykorea make money?
One revenue line is on record: B2B E-Marketplace Services.
Who are Buykorea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DHgate, Alibaba (Alibaba.com), Global Sources, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Made-in-Korea (various platforms), Kompass, TradeKey, ECVV and ExportHub. ThomasNet is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Buykorea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Buykorea.
What industry is Buykorea in?
Buykorea's product category is B2B Trade Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAD, B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms, with a secondary code of CRAFAJAC, Cross-border B2B/Wholesale Trade Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 425.