Push for 100% Domestic Military Textiles and a K-Fashion Renaissance
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Choi Byung-oh, likely to be reappointed next month as head of the Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KFTI), plans to prioritize three goals during his next three-year term: produce all military textiles domestically, boost one-person startups in textiles and fashion, and promote promising local textile and fashion firms. Choi argued that unlike the U.S., South Korea relies heavily on low-cost imports for military uniforms and materials, which he says is a security risk for a divided nation; he therefore advocates 100% domestic production of defense textiles (국방섬유: textiles used for military uniforms and equipment). He also aims to lower barriers for solo entrepreneurs, connect existing domestic production facilities in places like Busan, Daegu, and Changsin-dong to new designers, and leverage online sales systems and AI to spark a "K-Fashion" renaissance similar to K-Beauty. The KFTI, founded in 1967, represents 32 member organizations across the textile and fashion sector.
