Direct sellers from around the world will gather in Seoul in 2026.

The Korea Direct Selling Industry Association (Chairman Han-gill Park, hereinafter, KDSIA) announced on the 18th that the World Federation of Direct Selling Association (hereinafter, WFDSA) World Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has decided to hold the next World Congress in 2026 in South Korea. The WFDSA World Congress is held every three years to bring together direct selling companies, government agencies, consumer organizations and academia, to share and discuss important issues in the direct selling industry.

Three countries, South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia, applied to host the 2026 WFDSA World Congress, and the host was selected after presenting proposals at the DSA representative meeting and holding a vote by representatives from each country. KDSIA Vice Chairman Won-kyoung Eo explained that “the 2026 WFDSA World Congress will be a place to explore the many realistic alternatives for our industry between the normalization of digital life and traditional face-to-face sales,” and that “we will actively support participants in realizing ground-breaking innovations through their creative ideas.”

The direct selling industry in South Korea began with door-to-door sales in the 1960s and has been growing steadily ever since. According to the WFDSA, the size of the 2022 domestic direct selling market is USD $18.475 billion (approx. KRW 24 trillion based on the 2022 average exchange rate), making it the second-largest in the world after the United States, where the market size is USD $40.52 billion. It has continued to grow despite being strictly regulated and categorized into the segments door-to-door sales, sponsored door-to-door sales, and pyramid schemes, and in particular, it has actively embraced IT technology to merge online and offline, thereby opening up a new market. In addition, having received “Consumer Centered Management” (CCM) certification from the Korea Fair Trade Commission, industry-leading companies such as Atomy and Amway Korea are pioneering the field of “consumer-centered direct selling”. Han-gill Park, Chairman of the KDSIA, commented that “South Korea’s direct selling market has become the second largest in the world thanks to the efforts of its member companies,” and that “hosting the 2026 World Congress will be an opportunity for direct selling in South Korea and around the world to mature and expand its reach.” 

Korean participants such as the Korea Direct Selling Industry Association, Korea Special Sales Financial Cooperative Association, MAC&CO, member companies, etc.

Chairman Han-gill Park celebrates the successful bid for the World Congress