The Climate Industry International Expo Opens Spectacularly... Chey Tae-won Says "Carbon Reduction Requires Disruptive Innovation" (Comprehensive)

Held for Three Days from the 25th to 27th
Busan Expo Bid Activities

The world's first climate-related technology and industry expo, the 'World Climate Industry Expo (WCE),' opened in grand style on the 25th at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan.

This is the first event combining energy efficiency-related events such as the 'Korea Energy Show,' 'Carbon Neutrality Conference,' 'Carbon Neutrality Expo,' and the 'International Environmental Energy Industry Exhibition (ENTECH).' Twelve government ministries and local governments, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and 14 public-private affiliated organizations such as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry joined forces to host the largest event of its kind in Korea.

The government chose Busan as the venue for this event, which is attended by major domestic and international companies and international organizations, to showcase its capabilities for hosting the '2030 Busan Expo' to the world. Held over three days until the 27th under the theme "Beyond the Climate Crisis, the Path to Sustainable Prosperity," the event features about 500 domestic and international companies, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor, LG Group, POSCO, and Mercedes-Benz, setting up 2,195 booths to showcase products encompassing new carbon reduction technologies such as eco-friendly semiconductors, hydrogen turbines, and hydrogen-reduced steelmaking.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who visited the site that day, toured the exhibition booths for about 30 minutes before the opening ceremony with key government officials including Environment Minister Han Hwa-jin and corporate representatives such as SK Group Chairman and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, personally experiencing climate technologies. The opening ceremony was attended by about 2,000 people, including prominent domestic and international figures such as Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and renowned economist and energy expert, and Richard Muller, a world-famous physicist and Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Han said, "The global order is rapidly transitioning to low carbon," adding, "The government will actively support innovative technology development to overcome the technological limits of high carbon-emitting industries and expand carbon reduction incentives and regulatory reforms."

Following this, Chairman Chey said in his welcoming speech, "Companies have tried to reduce carbon emissions using commercialized carbon reduction technologies so far, but disruptive innovation is necessary to achieve real effects," adding, "This expo will be a place where companies can showcase and seize opportunities through new carbon-neutral technologies."

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is delivering a welcome speech at the 'World Climate Expo (WCE)' held on the 25th at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan.
[Photo by Choi Seo-yoon]

There are a total of eight exhibition halls: Clean Energy Hall, Energy Efficiency Hall, Carbon Neutrality Hall, Future Mobility Hall, Expo Promotion Hall, Policy Finance Hall, Environmental Industry Hall, and Climate Technology Hall. In the Clean Energy Hall, visitors can see technologies related to solar power, wind power, hydrogen, and fuel cells from 225 companies, ranging from domestic companies such as Samsung SDI, LG Chem, LG Energy Solution, and Doosan Enerbility to overseas companies including Germany's largest energy company RWE and Norway's state-owned energy company Equinor. The Energy Efficiency Hall features 19 companies including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, where visitors can experience high-efficiency energy and power consumption reduction products.

SK Group, Lotte Group, POSCO, and 106 other companies are exhibiting in the Carbon Neutrality Hall, introducing green digital technologies and hydrogen-reduced steelmaking. Hyundai Motor Group, HD Hyundai, Volkswagen, and 18 other companies are responsible for the Future Mobility Hall, showcasing new technologies such as electric vehicle charging solutions and autonomous driving. The Expo Promotion Hall has set up 45 booths to promote activities for attracting the 'Busan Expo.'

The Korea Energy Agency and KOTRA operate technology patent registration and financial support consultations, as well as one-on-one export consultations during the event to help domestic companies with business exchanges and overseas expansion. The export consultation includes participation from about 100 overseas companies from 30 countries, consulting with about 180 domestic companies in energy fields such as solar and wind power, as well as environmental sectors like water treatment and waste management.

The government and public-private affiliated organizations plan to develop this event into a global climate industry expo on the scale of CES (International Consumer Electronics Show), the world's largest home appliance and IT expo, to foster the climate industry. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated, "The World Climate Industry Expo is an opportunity to see the present and future of climate technology at once," adding, "We plan to develop it into a leading global expo that takes the lead in establishing climate technology as a new growth engine industry."