Vice chairman Kim Dong-soo of the Korea Federation of Textile Industries said textile exports this year would increase by around 2.4 percent YoY, despite the European debt crisis, thanks to the Korea-U.S. (FTA) and China’s stimulus moves to spur its economic growth this year.

Question: What is the significance of observing Textile Day?

Answer: Nov. 11 was designated as Textile Day to commemorate the exports of textile goods exceeding $10 billion on Nov. 11, 1987, and we have been observing this memorable occasion every year. We marked the occasion this year, which was the 26th one, at the Textile Center in Seoul. Management reform and expanded exports of textile goods, along with the development of technology have been the aim of the occasion to further the overall development of the textile industry, thus enhancing the national competitiveness. 

KOFOTI Chairman Ro Hee-chan opened the ceremony this year with his opening speech followed by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik’s commemorative speech.

Q: How was the Preview in Seoul 2012 and what were its results?

A: The Preview in Seoul 2012, (PIS) held from Sept. 7 for three days, was a great success with 261 textile and related firms participating, the largest number of participants in its history, and 9,928 viewers coming to the textile and fashion exhibition. The number of foreign buyers was less than last year due to the worldwide economic slump, but the number of domestic buyers increased to boost the number of total participants and viewers by 9.9 percent from last year. Fabric R&D Manager Nancy Smith of BCBG Group said Korean textile fabrics were quite a novelty, in particular knit and jersey, which are not seen in other textile exhibitions, although the Preview in Seoul 2012 was not that big compared with others.

As such, the PIS this year showed the improved quality of Korean textile goods and creativity, especially with European and U.S. buyers determined to switch to Korean textile materials away from Europe and Japan, signaling that the Korean textile industry has great future prospects for growth.

Outdoor brands with special functions attracted a lot of attention from the foreign buyers who held many sales talks with Korean manufacturers at PIS. Samil Textile, which put on display many of its “forexil” functional polyester fabrics along with its cellulous fabric and “summer cool,” a fabric resistant to flame, and other diverse textile fabrics, attracted many buyers. 

Q: Can you please tell us about the current status of textile development in Korea and its prospects?

A: The general textile material produced in Korea is competitive around the world, but in the case of new textile levels in Korea, they would come to around 65 percent of the world level °™ from about four to seven years behind. New textile products are used in autos, ships, electronics, and construction as core material, which are in demand to create synergy with the products of key industries.

Q:  Can you please explain Korea’s mid and long-term strategies for textile industry development?

A: The textile and fashion industries, aware of the importance of the development of new textiles, drew up a roadmap for the development of new textiles centered around the KOFOTI jointly with industry, academics, and R&D and asked for the structural reform of the textile and fashion industry from the government. 

The government has been at work to provide its support to R&D on new textiles by providing funds amounting to 140.4 billion won to the Daegu Area Super Material Fusion Product Industrialization Project from 2010-2014; the Cheonju Area Carbon Valley Construction Project by providing 199.1 billion won from 2011-2015; and the North Gyeongsang Area High-tech Medical Textile Material Development Project by providing 100 billion won from 2011-2015.

Domestic textile makers earnestly began to work on the development of new textiles after 2005 and are successfully at work either producing carbon textiles, aramid textiles, high strength PE textiles, among others or are test producing them. Hyosung has been turning out carbon textiles used for airplanes, rocket bodies, wind power plants, cars, and construction material, to name a few. Kolon, Hubis, Hyosung, and Woongjin Chemical have been engaged in producing aramid textiles for use in bulletproof jackets, fireproof clothes, electricity savings, and industrial filters, among other uses.