Ambitious Customized Service Exports Plan Announced

Japan has an estimated 8.8 million people who golf, but playing is hard since golf courses are in suburbs and expensive.

In Canada, about six million people play the sport, but the long winter there allows a relatively shorter time for golfing.

The Korean government will export “screen golf” service to and expand franchises in those countries under a plan to export “small items with high potential” announced Thursday. For starters, screen golf products will be exported for use in gyms using Korean-made equipment that are recognized for both high technology and price competitiveness.

The Knowledge and Economy Ministry and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency held the Knowledge Service Convergence Forum in Seoul Thursday. They announced the top 10 small items with high potential such as screen golf and wedding services.

Countries with promising markets for the 10 items were listed and gradual entry strategies were suggested that offer customized government support from strategic planning for overseas markets to the settlement stage.

Lee Chung-hyeon, the knowledge service team leader at the agency, said, “Companies want to go overseas but lack information and don’t know what to do. We’ll provide tailored services with consulting companies to help them successfully enter overseas markets.”

The goal is to increase the combined export volume of the 10 items from 20 billion won (16 million dollars) to around one trillion won (80.1 million dollars) by 2015.

○ IT for developed countries, “Korean Wave” for developing countries

The government will set a strategy to enter developed markets with information technologies Korea has a competitive edge in and the markets do not. They include screen golf to Japan and Canada, whose countries have less-than-ideal conditions for golf; G (game) learning to Taiwan and Singapore, where e-learning and games are popular; and new media displays to Canada and Malaysia, which are aggressively fostering related industries.

“Hallyu,” or the Korean wave of pop culture content, will be exported to developing countries whose demand for high quality service is growing due to rising incomes.

“Total wedding service,” a business model found exclusively in Korea, will be sold to China and Vietnam, two countries which are seeing the number of marriages and the wedding industry rise.

In addition, magazine content, Korean-style multi-beauty shops, and maternity care centers will be marketed using hallyu in developing countries.

The service industry will be linked with other sectors to create new added value. A used car repair service will be started in Jordan and Bulgaria, where secondhand Korean cars sell well, with emergency service for repair and parts replacement.

In addition, a “green rental service” that lends, checks and repairs home appliances and “character multi-shops” that sell products carved with characters are deemed promising exports.

○ Aggressive franchising support

Customized consulting service will match these services with consulting firms to help them enter overseas markets. For those that go abroad through franchising, the government will offer assistance in opening the first shop in the target country.

Financing for research and development will follow if money is needed from business model development to developing and exporting new services.

firedy@donga.com