Korea's biggest defense show concludes after 8-day run
Government officials pose at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap
Korea's largest aerospace and defense trade show ended after an eight-day run earlier this week, with high-ranking foreign military officials showing keen interest in South Korean-made weapons systems, its organizers said Sunday.
The Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) ran from Oct. 17-24 at Seoul Air Base and KINTEX, both just outside of Seoul, with a record 600 defense firms from 35 countries participating in the biennial exhibition, according to the organizers.
Consultations over potential business deals, valued at $44.9 billion, took place during the exhibition, up 52.7 percent from the previous show in 2023.
"Consultations increased on the back of growing trust in the South Korean defense industry amid global security uncertainties," an ADEX official said.
Organizers said foreign military officials especially expressed interest in South Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter jet, as well as K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers.
The number of overall visitors also increased 19.5 percent from two years ago to 263,283 this year, organizers said.
Korea has seen a sharp increase in overseas demand for its weapons systems following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, inking landmark deals on the exports of self-propelled howitzers, tanks and multiple rocket launchers.