23 September 2026, 11:05 UTC

ProChile expects $60 million in business from Seoul B2B summit with Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese buyers

ProChile staged the Chile–North Asia Business Summit 2026 in Seoul, bringing about 30 Chilean exporters together with 80 buyers from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. More than 450 one-on-one meetings were held and the agency expects around $60 million in business. Chile ships some 33,000 tonnes of fresh fruit a year to the three markets and is targeting more than 50,000 tonnes.

ProChile, the export promotion agency of Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expects about $60 million in business to follow a three-day buyer-seller event it staged in Seoul for North Asian importers, according to enetnews.co.kr. The Chile–North Asia Business Summit 2026 ran from the 7th to the 9th and closed with more than 450 one-on-one meetings.

Around 30 Chilean exporting companies took part, meeting 80 buyers and importers from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, Handmaker reported. ProChile disclosed the results on the 23rd.

A record for ProChile's overseas programme

The summit was the largest business-to-business event ProChile has organised outside Chile, enetnews.co.kr reported. It was designed to introduce Chilean export products to major North Asian buyers and to diversify both destination markets and product lines.

Participating suppliers came from processed agricultural goods — dried, dehydrated and frozen fruit — as well as seafood and fresh fruit. The meetings covered consumption and distribution trends in each market, import requirements and local business demand. On that basis, companies also discussed new trading possibilities and medium- to long-term cooperation.

“A large number of meetings took place between Chilean exporters and importers from the three markets, and we expect business of around $60 million,” said Ignacio Fernández, director of ProChile, quoted by enetnews.co.kr. He added that the agency would continue follow-up talks so the contacts made in Seoul convert into actual trade.

Fresh fruit exporters target more than 50,000 tonnes

Fruits from Chile, the country's fresh fruit exporters' association, sent 10 member companies to the summit to discuss product-level demand and distribution expansion with Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese buyers. Association president Iván Marambio presented the 2026–2027 fresh fruit campaign for Asia, setting out the quality and safety of Chilean fruit, supply capacity and growth potential.

Chile currently exports about 33,000 tonnes of fresh fruit a year to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan combined, and aims to lift that volume above 50,000 tonnes through wider marketing and distribution work. “Ten member companies held multiple rounds of meetings, and this ProChile-led event was a useful occasion to confirm the potential for market expansion,” Marambio said, as reported by enetnews.co.kr.

Chile exports fresh fruit alongside seafood such as salmon, meat, wine and processed foods to global markets, expanding its presence on the basis of food safety and phytosanitary standards, traceability systems and its production and export infrastructure, enetnews.co.kr reported. The main items shipped to North Asia are:

Fresh fruit, including cherries, blueberries, grapes, apples, lemons and kiwifruit
Seafood, led by salmon
Pork
Frozen fruit and wine

Three markets worth $4.78 billion outside copper and lithium

South Korea, Japan and Taiwan rank among Chile's five largest export markets in Asia. In 2025, Chilean exports to the three markets excluding copper and lithium reached $4.78 billion, or 28% of the country's non-copper, non-lithium exports to Asia, according to enetnews.co.kr.

Chilean food exports to North Asia have grown 35% since 2015 and reached about $2.7 billion last year. ProChile said it plans to support follow-up negotiations between participating companies and buyers so that the opportunities identified in Seoul turn into contracts and shipments, and will continue to push distribution of Chilean food and higher value-added products in South Korea and the wider North Asian market.

Expert commentary

“Sixty million dollars from 450 meetings works out at roughly $130,000 per contact. That is an expectation, not signed paper — the deals still have to close after the event.

The firmer number is fruit volume. Chile ships about 33,000 tonnes of fresh fruit a year into Korea, Japan and Taiwan and wants more than 50,000. That is over a 50% increase, and it has to come from cherries, blueberries, grapes and apples landing in the Southern Hemisphere window, when local supply in all three markets is thin.

The scale of the effort follows from the export structure. In 2025 Chile sold $4.78 billion to the three markets excluding copper and lithium — 28% of its non-copper, non-lithium exports to Asia. Food shipments to North Asia are up 35% since 2015, at about $2.7 billion. Growth is real but concentrated in a handful of lines: fruit, salmon, pork, wine.

For Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese importers this means more direct sourcing options and pressure on the margins of incumbent suppliers. For Chilean exporters the risk is the usual one: 450 meetings become shipments only if phytosanitary access, logistics and price survive the follow-up. ProChile says it will work that stage — which is where the $60 million is won or lost.”

Eleanor Hayes

Lead Trade Policy Analyst