Acting President Choi Sang-mok urged Korean American businesspeople to actively promote South Korea as a credible economic cooperative partner to the United States.

Meeting with executives from the Korean American Chamber of Commerce USA in Seoul on Wednesday, Choi also referred to them as civilian diplomatic missions.

The talks were held to check up on preparations for the 23rd World Korean Business Convention set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia in mid-April, while sharing information on local trends amid trade policies under the new Trump administration.

The Korean American business group said the upcoming convention is anticipated to offer a stepping stone for South Korea's outstanding small- to medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to expand their business in foreign markets.

Emphasizing the importance of "grassroots network," the acting president also requested the business group to form relations with U.S. federal and state delegations to facilitate a favorable investment environment for South Korean firms.