An annual conference of South Korean business leaders from around the world is successfully under way in Vienna after its opening ceremony at the Austria Center Vienna earlier this week, organizers said Wednesday.

The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association (World-OKTA) opened its 28th leaders’ convention in the Austrian capital, jointly with Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s key newswire, on Monday for a five-day run.

It is the first time that the World-OKTA Convention has been held in Europe.

The convention brought together about 3,000 participants, including 850 Korean business leaders operating in 89 cities in 46 countries and Korean and Austrian government officials. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and actress Park Jin-hee gave keynote lectures after the opening ceremony.

The 2024 Korea Business Expo Vienna also opened in Austria on Tuesday for a two-day run on the sidelines of the 28th World-OKTA Convention, featuring about 400 booths by Samsung Electronics Co. and 300 small and
medium-sized companies.

In addition, the Korean Youth Art Fair was held simultaneously to introduce about 130 art works to Europe.

Following the closing ceremony on Thursday, performances by South Korean soprano Sumi Jo and the Brno Philharmonic of the Czech Republic are planned.

Founded in 1981, World-OKTA comprises about 7,000 regular members in 150 branches across 70 countries, along with 28,000 next-generation entrepreneurs.

Source: Yonhap News Agency