SHAH ALAM: Bilateral trade between Malaysia and South Korea until November has hit RM100.6 billion, mainly in the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector, said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
He said there are 400 registered South Korean companies that are currently investing in Malaysia, with Korean companies having employed more than 50,000 Malaysians in the country from 1980 until September this year.
The minister said this in his speech during the opening ceremony of Ediya Coffee's first store in Malaysia at the Elmina Lakeside Mall here.
Commenting on the Korean-brand coffee outlet, Tengku Zafrul said Ediya Coffee plans to open 300 stores in Malaysia within three to five years. "(But) I think what is important are the opportunities that it creates. We have talked about job opportunities, upskilling opportunities for the young and strengthening the franchise industry in Malaysia," he added.
Meanwhile, Ediya Coffee Services Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Hafiz Ab Rahim said the company plans to open 50 branches throughout Malaysia next year. Ediya Coffee is a leading coffee chain in South Korea that was founded in 2001 and currently has more than 4,000 branches in South Korea.