Korean companies are expanding their presence at CES 2026, the world's largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, held in Las Vegas, USA. Following three consecutive years as the country with the most Innovation Awards, attention is focused on whether the number of companies setting up booths will once again reach an all-time high.
According to industry sources on December 26, around 1,000 Korean companies are expected to participate in CES 2026, which opens on January 6 (local time). This includes global conglomerates such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, as well as 470 companies exhibiting in the integrated Korea Pavilion operated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and an additional 500 small and medium-sized enterprises or startups.
As a result, there is keen interest in whether the number of Korean companies participating in CES will set a new record. At CES 2025, 1,031 Korean companies operated booths, marking the largest number ever and ranking second among all participating countries worldwide.
An industry official stated, "Around 1,000 Korean companies will participate in CES and make their presence felt," adding, "Since there are still companies awaiting final confirmation from the organizers regarding booth allocation, we are watching to see if next year's participation will surpass this year's figure."
Korean companies also swept 60% of all Innovation Awards, making Korea the top award-winning country for the third consecutive year. According to KOTRA, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES, announced in its first round of results last month that it had given Innovation Awards to 338 companies worldwide, of which 208 (59.2%) were Korean. This was far ahead of the United States, which came in second with 54 companies receiving awards.
The CES Innovation Awards are presented to products and services recognized for outstanding technology, design, and innovation among global innovative products. The highest Innovation Award and Innovation Awards are given in 36 categories, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and digital health. This year, competition was fierce, with more than 3,600 products submitted for consideration.
Winners of the highest Innovation Award include Samsung Electronics' security chip 'S3SSE2A', which enhances security in quantum computing environments; LG Electronics' transparent wireless TV 'LG Signature OLED T'; and Doosan Robotics' AI-based autonomous mobile robot system.
Among startups, Studio Lab, which developed the extended reality (XR)-based photo booth 'Zency Studio', and NationA, the developer of 'NeuroID', which creates three-dimensional content using AI, also received the highest Innovation Award.
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