168 Korean Companies Win at First Round of CES Innovation Awards
137 SMEs Account for 81% of Winners
A total of 137 Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) received the "Innovation Award" at CES 2026, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA. More than 80% of the Korean companies awarded this year are SMEs.
On January 1, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that, according to the first round results of this year's CES Innovation Awards, 168 out of the 284 award-winning companies were Korean. Of these, 137 were SMEs, accounting for 81% of the Korean winners. Since additional Innovation Awards are expected to be announced until the end of CES, the number of award-winning "Korean SMEs" is likely to increase further. This year, competition was even fiercer, with over 3,600 products submitted for the Innovation Award. Despite this, Korean SMEs once again demonstrated their global technological competitiveness on the international stage.
This marks the third consecutive year that Korea has produced the largest number of Innovation Award-winning companies. According to the first round results by country, Korea led with 168 companies, followed by the United States with 54, China with 34, and Taiwan with 13. Outstanding achievements were also seen in this year's core theme, artificial intelligence (AI). Among the award-winning products, AI accounted for 28 cases, representing the highest proportion. Furthermore, three Korean companies received the "Best Innovation Award," which is given to the companies with the highest scores in the AI category.
Meanwhile, this year's CES, held from January 6 to 9 local time, features participation from over 4,500 companies across more than 150 countries. Korea is represented by around 1,000 companies, ranging from major conglomerates such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and SK to innovative SMEs and promising startups.
For this exhibition, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy are collaborating across government agencies to establish the largest-ever Korea Pavilion. Centered around the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "K-Startup Integrated Pavilion" and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's "Integrated Korea Pavilion," the booths, logos, and designs of 470 companies from 38 organizations have been unified. Through this effort, the government aims to enhance "Korea Premium" marketing and boost export marketing effectiveness for participating domestic companies. For companies participating in the Integrated Korea Pavilion, business networking opportunities with global corporations such as Walmart and Intel will be provided through local expert seminars, technology demonstrations, and the K-Innovation Pitching Challenge.
Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, stated, "By achieving outstanding results at CES 2026, our venture and startup companies have demonstrated to the world that Korea possesses the technological capabilities to lead future markets. The government will continue to support innovative companies so that CES becomes a springboard for their global expansion."
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