KOTRA’s Grace Ahn & Jong-Young Na On The 2021 Beyond K-Lifestyle Showcase, “Squid Game,” BTS & Future KOTRA U.S. Event Plans
KOTRA — originally known as the Korea Trade Promotion Corporation, before rebranding as the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency in 1995 — is a state-funded trade and investment promotion organization operated by the Government of South Korea. KOTRA was established in 1962 as a national trade promotion organization. Since then, it has facilitated Korea’s rapid export-led economic development through various trade promotion activities. KOTRA’s network includes offices in 84 countries worldwide, including North American offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Earlier this month, KOTRA U.S. presented Beyond K-Lifestyle 2021 at New Jersey’s American Dream Mall. A special showcase of Korean beauty, food, lifestyle and entertainment, the event highlighted over 50 trendy lifestyle brands from Korea. After all, as many countries have become infatuated with K-pop (e.g. BTS), K-shows (e.g. Squid Game) and even K-soap operas, it only makes sense that attendees get a sense for “what’s next” from a country which has been dominating of global trends for years.
On November 10, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with KOTRA’s Grace Ahn and Jong-Young Na via Zoom, as embedded beyond. Beyond Beyond K-Lifestyle 2021, we spoke about KOTRA’s overall mission, future KOTRA-presented events, Korean culture that they foresee becoming popular in the future, and plenty more. Additional information on KOTRA can be found online by clicking here, here and here.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal.Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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