[Reporter’s Notebook] CES Once Again Becomes a 'Korean-Only Festival'

Exhibition Halls Dominated by Government Banners
A Call to Redesign Strategies Around Technology-Driven Showcases

"Is this Korea or the United States? It feels like the 'United States of Korea.'"

This was a joking remark made by Jose Munoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, to a reporter at the scene of 'CES 2026,' the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, which concluded on January 9 (local time). He was poking fun at the situation, as the area was filled with Koreans and Korean was being spoken everywhere.

According to the Korea Information and Communication Technology Industry Association (KICTA), 853 Korean companies participated in CES 2026. This accounted for 20% of the total 4,300 companies at the event, the third largest group after the United States and China. While there were major corporations present, a significant factor was the participation of 689 companies supported by government, local governments, or schools with public funds.

Korea's enthusiasm for CES is well known. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises and startups board flights to the United States with hopes of introducing their products and ideas to global buyers and investors who are usually out of reach.

However, contrary to these expectations, the atmosphere on site was quite different. What stood out at the exhibition were banners for political achievements rather than business opportunities. This year, Korea set up multiple pavilions, such as the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' 'K-Startup Pavilion' and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 'Integrated Korea Pavilion,' while local governments like Seoul, Daejeon, and Gangwon established their own booths. Instead of the global stakeholders they had hoped for, the booths were crowded with politicians eager to take commemorative photos with banners. It was disappointing to see the names of institutions and local governments taking center stage, rather than the innovative technologies brought by the companies.

A company representative encountered at the event said, "Even if we spend tens of billions of won to set up an exhibition in the United States, most of the visitors are Koreans, so it's really only beneficial to the organizers. No wonder people say it's 'downgraded from Seoul COEX or Ilsan KINTEX to the level of Namdaemun Market.'"

This 'festival for Koreans only' is not unique to this year. As doubts grow about whether CES still holds the same prestige as before, some major corporations have already withdrawn. This year, Samsung Electronics set up a private exhibition at the Wynn Hotel near Las Vegas Convention Center Hall (LVCC), the main CES venue, instead of participating in the main hall. SK Group drastically reduced its participation compared to last year, and HD Hyundai, whose Chairman Jung Ki-sun once gave a keynote speech, has not attended for two consecutive years.

CES should not be treated as an annual event for photo ops and sightseeing. If the goal is to promote domestic innovation companies abroad, it would be more convincing to organize integrated exhibitions focused on technology fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) or robotics, rather than dividing exhibition spaces by institution. Perhaps it's time to consider ways to bring large-scale exhibitions that attract global attention to Korea itself.