KOTRA's CI Signifies New Vision
- For opening age of $400 bln in exports, $20,000 in per capita income

Korea Trade and Investment Agency (KOTRA) has changed its new corporate identity to be in tune with the current world trade environment exemplified by the digital age, KOTRA said.
It said the new CI has been declared on Dec.1 dedicated to conveying KOTRA's current core image symbolized by the words digital, smart, and network.
The state-agency, on the occasion of adopting a new corporate image this time, has set up a new vision to carry out its second management reform centered around its target to become the first-rate trade and investment professional enterprise, implementing value reform built around its customers.
It will also spur internal reform so that it will become a top-rated trade-investment agency.
Its new corporate vision has been created to kick-start a new growth momentum for continued growth on the occasion of capturing the "Best Trade-Investment Promotion Agency" award given by the World Trade Organization(WTO) and International Trade Commission(ITC) to change its service to be built around the customer-oriented one from the past practice of top-down approach. Its move is aimed at further deepening its activities geared toward creating values playing a central role in the creation of a new value, KOTRA said.
The new CI was declared officially in a ceremony attended by a number of dignitaries including Commerce, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Hee-beom, former presidents of KOTRA, customers and officers and staff at its head office in Yeomgok-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 1.
KOTRA President Oh Young-kyo, in a speech at the ceremony, said KOTRA's recent awards as the top-rated government-invested firm in the evaluation of management of government-run firms and the best trade-investment promotion agency make up on a base from which KOTRA would jump-start a resurgence in the future to be not only the firm loved by its customers but by the people through its slogans, "Reform Leading KOTRA," "KOTRA Growing Together with Customers," and "KOTRA Carrying Out Transparent Management." The KOTRA president continued on to say that the rider has to continue to step on its pedals if a bicycle should keep on running. An organization has to keep on reforming for its continued development and it would run into trouble if it stops reforming. KOTRA will be at the forefront of reform for the sake of its renaissance in a positive manner not just following the flow of changes, Oh said.
Saying that KOTRA's image is based on customer trust, Oh said he will steer the agency to be reborn as a company that will grow with customers. He will set up the KOTRA Service Center inside the department in charge of customer management in a measure to strengthen its capacity to serve customers and make itself more customer-oriented.
KOTRA, born in 1962, the initial year of the government's first five-year economic development plan, has been on the same track with the nation's economic development. It played a large role in promoting trade and foreign direct investment in these years, seeing that the country achieved $100 billion in exports and opening the age of $200 billion in exports. KOTRA will strive to open the age of $400 billion in exports with per capita national income rising to $20,000 under its new CI and vision.
KOTRA had only 181 employees with just 4 overseas branches when it was born in 1962 compared to 634 now with 105 overseas branches. The new CI was adopted to reflect the enormous changes made since its establishment more than 4 decades ago.
The new CI signifies words associated with KOTRA and its policies including Intellectual, Digital, Innovation, Global, Challenge, Smart, Network, Information, Gateway, Trade, and e-Business, among others.
The core meaning of the new CI is the visualization of KOTRA's new image seeking changes and reform, KOTRA officials said. nw