Thank you for visiting the website of the Belgian Korean Business Forum.
BKBF is a business association which aims to bring together companies and business people who share an interest in Belgium and South Korea. We are a non-profit organization . The Board of Directors of BKBF consists of volunteers typically employed by one of the members of the BKBF.
Our financial resources are limited but in balance. We collect small membership fees from our members which allow us to organize events without running the risk of having to personally contribute if not enough people show up. We receive a subsidy from Belgium which allows us to keep this website up and running, to organize business events and to keep a certain infrastructure in place to ensure continuity of our association. The way we receive this subsidy is a beautiful reflection of the complexity of the Belgian political structure. The overall subsidy is divided in two: a federal and a regional portion. The regional portion is further divided in three: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Without this support it would be impossible for BKBF to survive and to create continuity. It is also the best recognition we could have hoped for, and an incentive to work closely with all the representatives of the respective institutions: Ambassador Pierre Dubuisson representing Belgium and the federal subsidy; Marc Devriendt representing Flanders Investment and Trade, and Baudouin de Hemptinne, Economic and Commercial Attache of the Walloon and Brussels Region. We are grateful for their support and contribution.
Our membership consists of companies and what we so nicely call “individuals”. We try to be consistent in respect of who can become a member, either corporate or individual. In practice however we never really have to make difficult “entry” decisions. We welcome Belgian companies operating in Korea, Belgians working in Korea, Koreans working for Belgian companies, Koreans who studied or previously worked in Belgium, and indeed some Belgians and Koreans currently living in Belgium but who have kept an affinity with Korea and the Korean business environment.
Our vision is to build bridges between the Korean and Belgian business communities. This work is never finished. One of the main difficulties we face is the fact that the Belgian business community is comparatively small and more or less informal. On the other hand, the Korean business community with interest in Belgium is not so small but more formal.
We are striving to work more closely with the Belgian Korean Friendship Association and also with Luxembourg Business Club in Korea. We also believe that to achieve long term sustainability it would be beneficial to try and work from a Benelux platform.
Do not hesitate to contact any of the Board Members if you plan to visit Korea or Belgium or if you think about moving here (or there).
Andre Nothomb
Chairman of BKBF