Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn pins a medal on one of the winners of medals and citations for their contributions to the development of the textile industry in Korea during the 29th Textile Day ceremony held at the Textile Center in Seoul on Nov. 11.(Photos:KOFOTI)

In his congratulatory speech at the 29th Textile Day ceremony held on Nov. 11 at the Textile Center in Seoul, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said the government will develop the “cultural creative” industry, mixing textiles and fashion industries with the manufacturing and service industries. 

The prime minister said the government will provide support to textile and fashion industry exporters so they can grow substantially. That support includes the FTAs signed recently with many countries around the world such as the U.S., the EU and China to expand the markets for Korean products abroad; reform in the manufacturing process with the ICT fusion; and technology reform through strategic R&D activities, among others.

Saying that textile products have been expanding their uses to include such key areas as automobiles, space exploration and aviation as key materials for industrial use, not just for the clothing industry.

The prime minister exerted that the textile and fashion industries will be able to find new breakthroughs by taking advantage of free trade deals and the development of new materials, as Korea has a balanced production base and excellent manpower, ranking the 4th-best in the world in terms of technology.

Hwang also boasted that the textile industry has the top market share in the tire cord and spandex world markets, and like the Hallyu, the global Korean-style entertainment fad, the textile and fashion industries can speedily develop and expand their markets across the globe. “In order to bring these about, we have to collect our experiences, technologies and cultural capacities and mix them together to back up our global expansion,” he said. 

The prime minister presented medals, industrial prizes, and presidential and the prime ministerial citations to 12 winners for their contributions to the growth of the textile and fashion industries.

Chairman Sung Ki-hak of the Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI) said the textile industry has helped the Korean economy grow, with its exports of various textile products including fabrics surpassing $30 billion annually, and “we ought to further develop the textile and fashion industries with the fusion of ICT and the smart clothing as the bases and the mix of the Korean-style fashion with the Korean culture to be a leading industry,” he said. 

Chairman Sung Ki-hak of the Korea Federation of Textile Industries delivers his congratulatory speech at the 29th Textile Day ceremony held at the Textile Center in Seoul on Nov. 11.

He called for sound competition as well as cooperation among different streams in the industry to create strategies for synergy to win and develop further markets.

Sung also called for more government support for the industry to secure a wider global market by concluding more FTAs and join TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) as early as possible.

Textile Day was established in Nov. 11, 1987 when the textile exports reached $10 billion. Every year, medals and citations are presented to those who have made recognizable contributions to the growth of the textile industry.

This year, three won medals, gold, silver, and bronze each, two won the industrial awards, four the Presidential Citation, three the Prime Minister’s Citation and 41 the Citations of the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy and 60 the Citations from the Chairman of KOFOTI, all told 113 winning the awards.