443 firms, 32 gov't agencies attend Korean pavilion at CES

Korea's national pavilion for CES 2024 at Venetian Convention and Expo Center in Las Vegas is in the making, Sunday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Indusry and Energy

Korea's national pavilion at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week is the biggest ever with 443 firms and 32 government bodies in attendance, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Monday.

The pavilion for the global trade show consists mostly of small-to-medium-sized companies. Among the firms are 13 that won innovation awards last November from the show's organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

Onecom won the authority's special recognition in the Mobile Devices, Accessories and Apps category with its device designed to help visually impaired people with online messaging. As did Mand.ro in the Accessibility and Aging Tech category with its robotic fingers, which were designed for people with hand disabilities.

The city governments of Seoul, Ulsan and Gwangju, and the provincial governments of Gangwon and South Chungcheong are among 32 government authorities participating in this year's CES. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups have joined the pavilion for the first time.

This year's pavilion drew a record 58 percent of Korea's entire firms (761 ), which are participating in this year's CES.

"The national pavilion gives a comprehensive design and brand identity to the participating firms, offering unity in how the country presents itself to the world," said an official from the ministry's bureau of trade policy.

The country's entire fleet of companies is the third biggest amount that is participating in the CES following the U.S. and China. Out of 310 companies in the world that won the CTO's designation for innovativeness last November, 46 percent were Korean firms.

With the country's international conglomerates — Samsung, LG, Hyundai and SK — also joining, the national delegation will demonstrate its technological prowess on the world stage, which also now includes the mobility, health and beauty sectors.

"The biggest pavilion ever and the outcome of a number of our companies having won recognition by the CTO will spur the country's exports and keep outbound shipment momentum high," said the official.

This year's AI theme for the CES is "All Together, All On." Four out of nine keynote speeches during the event, from Tuesday to Friday, are about AI technologies. One of them is to be delivered by HD Hyundai on Tuesday (local time) about Xite Transformation covering digital twin technology and smart construction solutions.

Starting in 1967 as an electronic appliance show, the CES has gradually shifted its focus from products to technologies. This year's key trends, according to the ministry, include personalization and on-demand technologies in digital health as well as mobility, food security, sustainable futures and agricultural technology.

On the sidelines, K-Innovation Day will be held on Wednesday. Organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, it will feature Korean firms and 16 global enterprises including Walmart, FedEx and IBM who will gather for possible future partnerships, according to the ministry.