28 Exhibitions Unable to Use COEX Due to Remodeling to Be Distributed Across SETEC, KINTEX, and aT Center

Exhibition Industry Mutual Growth MOU in Response to COEX Remodeling

Major exhibitions that were originally scheduled to take place at COEX will be held as planned, but distributed to alternative venues such as the nearby SETEC Convention Center, aT Center, and KINTEX.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on August 11 that it held the 'Mutual Growth MOU for the Exhibition Industry in Response to COEX Remodeling' event at the SETEC Convention Center. The event was focused on this agenda.

On July 23, 2026, at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, crowds of examinees and parents lined up to enter the '2027 College Admission Information Fair'. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The signing ceremony was attended by the Korea Exhibition Organizers Association, COEX, KINTEX, and other major players in the exhibition industry. It was arranged to ensure the seamless organization of exhibitions during the COEX remodeling construction (scheduled from July 2027 to December 2028).

Due to the remodeling of COEX, which is linked to the construction of the Gangnam Integrated Transfer Center by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, two of the four exhibition halls (Halls A and C) will be closed for a year and a half starting in the second half of next year. This has led to concerns regarding a disruption in major exhibitions traditionally held at COEX and a potential exhibition gap.

To address these concerns preemptively, since April the ministry has created an 'Exhibition Industry Mutual Growth Task Force' consisting of major exhibition organizers, the Korea International Trade Association, and COEX, among others. The TF has been discussing remodeling plans and support measures for the industry, including the allocation of alternative venues. As a result, 28 exhibitions scheduled for next year that were seeking alternative venues have secured locations—distributed across the SETEC Convention Center, COEX Magok, aT Center, KINTEX, and Songdo Convensia—allowing all of them to take place without disruption.

Institutions directly involved in providing alternative venues have participated in this MOU to devise concrete support measures ensuring that exhibitions operate smoothly during the COEX remodeling period. The Korea International Trade Association and COEX agreed to lessen the burden on exhibition organizers and participating companies by easing facility usage conditions, such as securing additional exhibition and meeting spaces at nearby cinemas and hotel ballrooms, and extending the free set-up and dismantling period from 10 to 15 hours. SETEC, the Convention Center, KINTEX, and Incheon Tourism Organization also decided to actively cooperate in renting out their venues to ensure exhibitions not assigned to COEX can promptly establish themselves at new locations.

The Korea Exhibition Promotion Association will support venue assignments by coordinating with other exhibition spaces if organizers want alternative venues to COEX, and will offer incentives—for example, subsidies for promotional and transportation expenses—through national exhibition support programs. The Korea Exhibition Organizers Association pledged to actively assist by informing its members of available support and collecting feedback and suggestions from the field for relay to relevant stakeholders.

Kang Gamchan, Director-General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "This MOU will serve as both a starting point and a catalyst for overcoming potential disruptions to exhibition scheduling arising from the COEX remodeling scheduled to begin in the second half of next year," adding, "We also plan to use this opportunity to address the concentration of exhibitions in the Seoul metropolitan area and, starting next year, to actively foster regional exhibitions linked to the nation's '5 Main Axes and 3 Special Growth Engines' strategy, thereby taking Korea's exhibition industry to the next level in global competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.