South Korea will run its largest-ever integrated Korea pavilion at CES 2026. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on Thursday they will set up an integrated Korea pavilion at CES 2026 in Las Vegas from Jan. 6 to 9 local time, with 38 organisations and 470 companies taking part.

That is an increase of 2 organisations and 25 companies from last year, when 36 organisations and 445 companies participated. With about 4,500 companies from about 150 countries taking part, a total of about 1,000 South Korean companies will attend the show, including Samsung, LG, Hyundai and SK as well as small firms and startups.

The integrated Korea pavilion will operate with a unified booth design and logo. Centered on the industry ministry’s integrated Korea pavilion and the small business ministry’s K-Startup integrated pavilion, it is designed to help participating companies conduct export marketing using the South Korea brand. The government will support participants by covering 70 percent of booth rental and installation costs and all one-way shipping costs for exhibits.

The government will run a seminar with local experts on Jan. 5, technology demonstrations on Jan. 6 and 9, and a K-Innovation Pitching Challenge from Jan. 7 to 8 for companies taking part in the integrated Korea pavilion. It will provide business networking opportunities with global companies such as Walmart and Intel, and will also offer a buyer list and one-on-one follow-up management.

In the first results of the CES Innovation Awards announced by the show organiser CTA in November last year, South Korea ranked as the country with the most awards for a third consecutive year. Of 284 award-winning companies, 168 were South Korean. The United States had 54 winners, China had 34 and Taiwan had 13. The CES Innovation Awards are given to products with excellence in technology, innovation and design across 36 categories including AI, robots and digital health.

Of the 168 South Korean award-winning companies, 137 were small and medium-sized firms, accounting for more than 80 percent. In AI, South Korean companies won all 3 Best of Innovation awards, and recorded the largest share with 28 Innovation Awards in the AI category. Awards followed with 24 in digital health and 14 in sustainability and energy transition.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said, "As the competition for AI technology hegemony intensifies, CES will be an opportunity to show our companies' technological capabilities and potential." He added, "The government will also actively support our companies so their innovative capabilities lead to export results."

SMEs and Startups Minister Han Sung-sook said, "By achieving strong results, our venture and startup companies have imprinted on the global stage that Korea has the technological capabilities to lead future markets." She added, "We will continue to support innovative companies so they can use CES as a stepping stone to expand globally."