The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (Vice Prime Minister and Minister Baek Kyung-hoon) announced that it will send a government delegation to the world’s largest electronics and IT exhibition, ‘CES 2026’, held in Las Vegas, USA from January 6 to 9, to examine the latest trends in AI and digital industries and strengthen global AI cooperation.
The delegation, led by Ryu Jae-myung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, plans to encourage domestic AI and digital companies and university researchers during the CES period and discuss international cooperation measures through meetings with major US big tech companies. After the CES closes, they plan to move to San Francisco for high-level meetings with leading global AI companies like NVIDIA and OpenAI.
This year’s CES, the 59th event hosted by the American Consumer Technology Association (CTA), was themed ‘Innovators Show Up.’ Approximately 4,500 global companies participated, and Korea showcased its technological competitiveness by winning 211 out of 367 CES innovation awards, including with major corporations such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, and Doosan, as well as over 700 small and venture companies.
On the first day, the delegation visited the ARM exhibition booth to discuss AI semiconductor cooperation plans, and then headed to Eureka Park, an area focusing on early startups and ventures, to inspect the technology commercialization sites of domestic universities and companies, such as KAIST, POSTECH, Hanyang University, and Samsung C-LAB. They also held a luncheon to listen to difficulties and policy suggestions encountered during the commercialization process of research and development achievements.
Furthermore, on the afternoon of the 6th local time, they visited special exhibitions of global ICT companies and held a ‘Digital Youth Talent Story Square (Talk Concert)’ to encourage young Korean talents participating in CES. At this event, support measures for young startups, focusing on global network expansion and mentoring program operations, were discussed.
On the second day, they visited the main exhibition halls of LVCC Central and West Hall to focus on major technology trends such as AI, Physical AI, robotics, and mobility, holding discussions with major companies like Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, Naver, and Samsung SDS about strengthening AI industry competitiveness and securing international leadership through public-private cooperation.
On the third day, they held a meeting with domestic AI companies that won CES innovation awards. Companies such as Moblint (AI sector), Persona AI (AI sector), DeepX (embedded technology), HL Mando (robotics), as well as companies that won AI champion awards, including Stratio Korea and Bakati, attended. The government discussed policy tasks to support the growth stage of AI startups and the leap to unicorn companies.
After completing the CES schedule, the delegation will move to San Francisco for continuous meetings with NVIDIA and OpenAI to discuss international cooperation measures for Korea to grow as a hub of the AI industry in the Asia-Pacific region. They will also attend the ‘Startup Pitching & VC Networking’ event hosted by the United Korean Founders (UKF) network to share Korea’s AI industry vision and policy direction.
Ryu Jae-myung, the Second Vice Minister, said, “CES is a stage that shows the flow of the global ICT industry and a place where the direction of the technology paradigm centered on AI can be gauged. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning will quickly respond to changes in advanced technology, including Physical AI, and actively support domestic companies’ innovation and global expansion to help Korea rise as one of the top three AI powerhouses.”