Center of International Trade and Expositions and Missions (CITEM) Executive Director Leah Pulido Ocampo, second from left, Philippine Trade and Investment Center Seoul Commercial Counselor Charmaine Mignon Yalong, third from left, and CITEM Department Manager for Consumer Business Rowena Mendoza, fourth from left, pose with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency executives. Courtesy of CITEM
The Philippines has launched its first official country pavilion at Seoul Food 2026, anchoring a 24-company corporate delegation at one of Asia’s largest food and beverage trade fairs to exploit a newly enacted free trade agreement with Korea.
The four-day exhibition, which opened Tuesday at the KINTEX convention center northwest of Seoul, marks Manila’s most aggressive institutional push into the Korean market since the Philippines-Korea Free Trade Agreement took effect in December 2024. The bilateral trade pact eliminates tariffs on 94.8 percent of Philippine exports to Korea, offering an immediate competitive advantage to Southeast Asian agricultural and food exporters looking to undercut regional rivals.
Manila’s trade apparatus has structured the exhibition into two distinct commercial corridors under the "FOODPhilippines" banner. The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, is managing 16 companies focused on processed goods, including integrated food conglomerates like Oleo-Fats and Phil-Union Frozen Foods. Concurrently, the Philippine Department of Agriculture is sponsoring eight midtier enterprises targeting niche confectioneries and high-value fresh crops.
