Hundreds of global retail companies like Amazon.com Inc. gathered in Seoul on Tuesday to purchase quality consumer goods and seek new business opportunities in South Korea, the trade ministry said.
  

The Korea Consumer Goods Showcase 2015 kicked off for a two-day run, bringing together Amazon.com, China's No. 2 online shopping mall JD.com Inc., Japan's Rakuten Inc., U.S. Lowe's Companies Inc., French Yves Rocher and many other retailers and shopping mall operators, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
  

Some 500 South Korean manufacturers of home appliances, beauty and health care products, fashion, food and home decorations are showcasing goods and products to catch the eye of global buyers.
  

On the sidelines of the exhibitions and business consultation sessions, a business forum for the global consumer market will be also held to give participants a glimpse into the latest trends and strategies of the world retail market, said the ministry.
  

The ministry said the trade fair is designed to encourage South Korean exporters to overcome the drop in global demand and make good use of free trade deals with big markets like China.
  

"We have to change the structure of our exports, which highly depend on intermediate goods, to consumer goods," the trade ministry said in a release. "We expect the showcase to develop into a world-leading business fair." (Yonhap)