DX Korea Opens Amid COVID-19 Concerns

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Defense companies participating in the ground weapons exhibition '2020 Korea Defense Industry Exhibition (DX Korea)' are on high alert. Amid the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), there are concerns that COVID-19 might spread within the event venue, as military officials from three overseas countries who were scheduled to attend DX Korea tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the defense industry on the 17th, DX Korea will be held for three days from the 18th to the 20th at KINTEX Exhibition Hall 2 in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. Military-related foreign guests from 15 countries were expected to attend, but three invited officials from Pakistan, Nigeria, and Kazakhstan tested positive for COVID-19. It is known that they were confirmed positive through COVID-19 tests taken upon entry into the country. Therefore, only officials from 12 countries, excluding those from countries with confirmed COVID-19 cases, such as the UAE (United Arab Emirates), France, and Indonesia, are expected to attend. Considering that 28 countries participated in DX Korea in 2018, which is held biennially, this is about half the number.

The DX Korea organizing committee stated, "Defense companies are in desperate need of opportunities for overseas exports, so we take pride in having created an overseas export platform," and added, "The costs incurred by defense companies for the exhibition can be included in the cost of weapon systems and reimbursed." The committee also mentioned, "The exhibition hall, which is about 8,000 pyeong in size, will limit the number of attendees to around 3,000, so visitors will not be able to gather in one place."

However, defense companies express concerns. This is because Goyang City, where the event venue is located, raised the 'social distancing' level to 1.5 starting from the 16th, and the number of people is restricted to one person per 4㎡ (approximately 1.21 pyeong) of facility area. If a COVID-19 case occurs within the event venue, the corporate image could inevitably be damaged.

This exhibition consists of five themed zones and an outdoor exhibition area, including the Weapon Systems Zone (20 companies), Power Support Systems Zone (65 companies), Security Industry Zone (24 companies), International Zone (36 companies), and K-Quarantine Zone (65 companies), categorized by exhibition items. On the first day of the event, Minister of National Defense Seo Wook plans to hold a CEO meeting for defense companies with 23 executives attending.

A defense industry official said, "Every year, we participate in defense exhibitions sponsored by each military branch reluctantly, but I don't know who these exhibitions are really for," and added, "It would be more efficient to consolidate all defense-related exhibitions, including ADEX (AEDX), into one."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.