Sung Ki-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, said in a written briefing that "about 30 people attended the roundtable, including nine Korean business leaders such as Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, as well as senior officials from both governments."
Others on the Korean side included LS Chairman Koo Ja-eun, Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon, Kia President Song Ho-sung, POSCO International President Lee Kye-in, Doosan Bobcat Vice Chairman and CEO Park Sung-chul, Amorepacific CEO Kim Seung-hwan and Nongshim CEO Cho Yong-chul.
At the meeting, Lee stressed that Korea and Mexico are "indispensable and important strategic partners for each other." He added that "with uncertainty in the global economy rising and global supply chains shifting rapidly, now is the right time to take economic cooperation between the two countries to the next level."
The executives said Korean companies have contributed to high value-added manufacturing and the development of Mexico's local industrial ecosystem through decades of investment. They suggested that cooperation should expand beyond automobiles and home appliances into power and energy, mobility, advanced materials, food and beauty.
The companies voiced particular concern about uncertainty stemming from the ongoing review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA is a free trade agreement among the three countries that grants regional tariff benefits to products meeting a certain threshold for North American content. With the U.S. demanding tighter rules of origin, including greater use of North American parts and reduced reliance on components from outside the region, concerns are growing that Korean companies operating in Mexico could face higher costs and greater supply chain uncertainty.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics use Mexico as a key production base for the North American market, and Kia builds vehicles in Pesqueria, Nuevo Leon, leaving them sensitive to the outcome of the USMCA review. Those concerns were conveyed directly to the Mexican government at the roundtable. Sung said, "The executives noted that the ongoing USMCA review is raising uncertainty for business activity in Mexico," adding that "they asked the Mexican government to pay attention to securing business stability."
Support for localization was cited as a key task for parts and industrial goods companies, including LS, POSCO International and Doosan Bobcat. As the Mexican government pushes to raise domestic value added and local sourcing in strategic industries such as automobiles, aerospace and electronics under "Plan Mexico," securing local suppliers and obtaining permits, power, water and other industrial infrastructure support is becoming increasingly important for Korean companies.
Plan Mexico is a national development strategy through which the Mexican government aims to strengthen industrial competitiveness and expand investment to become one of the world's 10 largest economies by 2030.
Lee said, "Korea will lend its strength as a partner to the success of Plan Mexico, the vision for strengthening industrial competitiveness and expanding infrastructure that President Sheinbaum announced last year."
The executives also expressed willingness to actively take part in Plan Mexico. Sung said, "The executives said Mexico is not merely a production base but a key bridgehead for entering the North American and Latin American markets," adding that "they conveyed the view that creating a stable business environment is important as Mexico's strategic standing rises."
