[Press Release] EXPORUM Executive Director Haeseok Lee Wins Prime Minister's Award at the 52nd Tourism Day
[Seoul – December 23, 2025]
EXPORUM (CEO Hyundae Shin), a leading domestic and global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) organizer, announced on the 23rd that Executive Director Haeseok Lee received the Prime Minister's Award at the 52nd Tourism Day ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Executive Director Haeseok Lee, who received the Prime Minister's Award, led the overall planning and operation of Korea Expo Osaka as its chief planning director. Korea Expo Osaka was an exhibition designed to enhance the brand awareness of Korean content and consumer goods in the Japanese market, and was held in March 2025 at the INTEX Osaka exhibition hall in Japan. Marking the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, the event aimed to expand economic cooperation and exchange between the two countries and support the entry of Korean SMEs into the Japanese market.
Director Lee comprehensively designed the exhibitor configuration, buyer consultation programs, and marketing strategies tailored to the characteristics of the Japanese market, helping participating companies achieve tangible overseas expansion through direct-to-consumer sales and brand expansion strategies linked to online and offline distribution channels in Japan.
In particular, the exhibition halls were organized around Korea's major consumer goods sectors—K-Beauty, K-Food, K-Content, K-Lifestyle, and K-Tech—showcasing regional specialties and specialized products not easily found in the Japanese market, helping to raise interest and brand loyalty among Japanese consumers.
As a result, around 100 domestic SMEs participated in Korea Expo Osaka, achieving a total of USD 3 million in export consultations and over USD 2 million in contracts through business consultations held during the exhibition. This represents an outcome that went beyond mere exhibition participation to translate into actual exports and contracts, and is regarded as a case that proved the effectiveness of exhibition-based overseas market development.
The government comprehensively evaluated these achievements and awarded the Prime Minister's Award to Executive Director Lee in recognition of his significant contribution in linking tourism and exports through an exhibition-based overseas expansion model and substantively supporting SMEs' entry into global markets.
An EXPORUM official said, "EXPORUM plans to continue strengthening its role as a MICE platform connecting domestic industries with overseas markets this year through various global exhibition projects, including Korea Expo." <End>
Related article: Beyond Media
EXPORUM (CEO Hyundae Shin), a leading domestic and global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) organizer, announced on the 23rd that Executive Director Haeseok Lee received the Prime Minister's Award at the 52nd Tourism Day ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Executive Director Haeseok Lee, who received the Prime Minister's Award, led the overall planning and operation of Korea Expo Osaka as its chief planning director. Korea Expo Osaka was an exhibition designed to enhance the brand awareness of Korean content and consumer goods in the Japanese market, and was held in March 2025 at the INTEX Osaka exhibition hall in Japan. Marking the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations, the event aimed to expand economic cooperation and exchange between the two countries and support the entry of Korean SMEs into the Japanese market.
Director Lee comprehensively designed the exhibitor configuration, buyer consultation programs, and marketing strategies tailored to the characteristics of the Japanese market, helping participating companies achieve tangible overseas expansion through direct-to-consumer sales and brand expansion strategies linked to online and offline distribution channels in Japan.
In particular, the exhibition halls were organized around Korea's major consumer goods sectors—K-Beauty, K-Food, K-Content, K-Lifestyle, and K-Tech—showcasing regional specialties and specialized products not easily found in the Japanese market, helping to raise interest and brand loyalty among Japanese consumers.
As a result, around 100 domestic SMEs participated in Korea Expo Osaka, achieving a total of USD 3 million in export consultations and over USD 2 million in contracts through business consultations held during the exhibition. This represents an outcome that went beyond mere exhibition participation to translate into actual exports and contracts, and is regarded as a case that proved the effectiveness of exhibition-based overseas market development.
The government comprehensively evaluated these achievements and awarded the Prime Minister's Award to Executive Director Lee in recognition of his significant contribution in linking tourism and exports through an exhibition-based overseas expansion model and substantively supporting SMEs' entry into global markets.
An EXPORUM official said, "EXPORUM plans to continue strengthening its role as a MICE platform connecting domestic industries with overseas markets this year through various global exhibition projects, including Korea Expo." <End>
Related article: Beyond Media