KOTRA, initially the Korea Trade Promotion Corporation, were established in 1962 as a national trade promotion organization. Since then, it has successfully facilitated Korea's rapid export-led economic development through various trade promotion activities such as overseas market surveys and business matchmaking.
In August 1995, cross-border investment promotion and support for technological and industrial cooperation projects was added to KOTRA's mandate, and it was renamed the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency(KOTRA).