Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Rival defense expos agree to merge after years of costly split
The V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing drone is displayed at the Korea Army International Defense Industry Exhibition at Gyeryongdae Airfield in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, Oct. 2, 2024. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyun-woo
By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea’s two rival ground defense exhibitions, Defense Expo Korea (DX Korea) and Korea Army International Defense Industry Exhibition (KADEX), have agreed to merge after years of operating separately, ending a split that had drawn criticism from defense companies as well as overseas buyers and military delegations.
The organizing committees of DX Korea and KADEX announced reaching a final agreement to hold a joint exhibition at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 16-19.
The merger is expected to eliminate confusion among exhibitors and foreign delegations while allowing Korea's defense industry to present a unified platform to overseas buyers.
The two sides had failed to reach an agreement during final negotiations on May 19, but continued discussions afterward and ultimately settled their differences during a meeting between the heads of the two organizing committees.
The exhibition will initially be held under the name of KADEX with DX Korea 2026, although organizers said the final name could change following consultations with the Korea Defense Industry Association. The association has also been asked to participate as a co-host.
The agreement brings an end to a dispute that divided what had once been Korea’s flagship ground defense exhibition.
The event had originally been held under the DX Korea banner through cooperation between the Army Association of Korea and Defense Expo.
The relationship between the two organizers later deteriorated over differences in how the event should be run and how revenues should be divided, eventually prompting each side to stage its own exhibition in 2024.
Defense industry officials and military personnel from Korea and abroad listen to an exhibitor's briefing during the Defense Expo Korea at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 21, 2022. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho
KADEX, organized by the Army Association, was held in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, while DX Korea remained at KINTEX under a separate organizing structure.
The division quickly became a burden for defense companies. Many exhibitors had to choose between the two events or commit resources to both.
Firms that participated in both exhibitions faced higher marketing and logistics costs, while overseas buyers and foreign military delegations were often left uncertain about which exhibition best represented the industry.
As concerns grew over the impact of the division, the Ministry of National Defense stepped in and spent months mediating between the two sides.
In a joint statement, the organizers said the agreement was “not a victory or concession by either side, but a joint decision aimed at advancing Korea’s defense industry and strengthening the competitiveness of defense companies.”
They added that they would work to ensure the unified exhibition becomes “a key platform for expanding K-defense exports and building global defense industry networks.”
The organizers also said the merger would help end confusion among exhibitors and overseas participants caused by the split and allow the industry to pool its capabilities under a single platform.
“We will strengthen the global competitiveness of Korea’s defense exhibitions and develop the event into a national flagship exhibition trusted by the government, military, the industry and overseas buyers,” they said.
The organizers said they would now move to finalize operational details, including the structure of the organizing committee, exhibitor arrangements, overseas VIP invitations, venue layout and promotional plans, before formally notifying participating companies and related organizations.