Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) is launching K Connect AI, which brings together five major exhibitions in Korea around a common theme of artificial intelligence (AI): the Korea Electronics Show (KES), the Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX), Industrial AI EXPO, Asia Machinery & Manufacturing Expo Korea (AMXPO), and ROBOWORLD.

The government plans to develop flagship global exhibitions representing Korea in AI-based advanced industries and in consumer goods such as food and cosmetics, both areas of Korean strength. Making its debut this year, K Connect AI is a new project to develop a flagship Korean exhibition for advanced industries. Its programs will run for about a month, with an opening ceremony, an international conference, special pavilions, and business matching meetings with overseas buyers, all centered on industrial AI.

The opening ceremony on October 13, 2026, was held jointly with the opening of KES 2026 and the Electronics and IT Day ceremony. Attendees included Kang Gam-chan, Deputy Minister for International Trade and Investment at MOTIR; Kang Kyung-sung, President of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA); Yong Seok-woo, Chairman of the Korea Electronics Association (KEA); and Kinsey Fabrizio, President and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES in the United States. The ceremony unveiled the vision for K Connect AI and brought together the heads of the five exhibitions’ organizing institutions for a ceremony celebrating their cooperation. Together, these activities marked the launch of a business platform for AI-based advanced industries. During KES, CTA will also host CES Asia Unveiled Seoul to introduce CES 2027 and key technology trends that will drive future innovation.

On October 21, an international conference at the KINTEX Grand Ballroom will bring together leading scholars from Korea and abroad and executives from global companies to discuss global trends in manufacturing AI and strategies for responding to them. In the morning keynote session, Professor Raffaello D’Andrea of ETH Zurich and Park Min-woo, President at Hyundai Motor Group, will deliver keynote addresses and take part in a dialogue on expanding the ecosystem for manufacturing AI and developing response strategies. In the afternoon industry session, executives from IBM, Qualcomm, POSCO, and other global companies will discuss real-world applications, including AI factories, industrial robots and physical AI, autonomous manufacturing, and the use of AI by global manufacturers. Drawing on these examples, they will present practical strategies and opportunities for cooperation that companies can consider when adopting AI.

Throughout K Connect AI, a dedicated pavilion will explain the need for AI transformation in manufacturing (M.AX) and give visitors hands-on experience with how Korean companies apply AI. Exhibits and demonstrations will feature applications tested in real-world settings, including AI factories, AI systems for distribution and logistics, and humanoid robots. Around 130 overseas buyer companies with demand for industrial AI will also be invited to business matching meetings linked to the five exhibitions. To improve export outcomes from these meetings, buyers will receive lists of recommended company matches in advance, prepared using AI solutions.

At the 21st Electronics and IT Day ceremony, held alongside the opening ceremony, 41 individuals received government awards for enhancing the standing of the electronics and IT industry. Recipients included Kim Young-jae, Chairman of Daeduck Electronics, who received the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, and Cho Ji-tae, Senior Vice President of LG Innotek, who received the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit.

“Exhibitions are evolving beyond venues for displaying and trading products into business platforms that bring technologies, companies, industries, and markets together to expand exports and drive industrial innovation,” said Deputy Minister Kang. “With the launch of K Connect AI, we will build a business platform that leads innovation across Korean industries and continues to drive exports toward the USD 1 trillion mark. We will develop K Connect AI into a flagship international exhibition for Korea.”