[Report] Samsung, LG and K-Energy Avengers Assemble in Busan... Surprised by the Swarm of Crowds

International Climate Industry Expo on the 25th

"This is a solar-powered remote control that automatically charges with indoor lighting. It uses about 86% less electricity than conventional remote controls, and it has been released in North America since last year." (Samsung Electronics official)

"Consumers have strong resistance to the price of remote controls, so LG Electronics does not have (solar-powered remote controls) yet. Both companies share the goal of energy saving and are at the same starting line. It seems to depend on who can develop it better in the future." (LG Electronics official visiting Samsung Electronics booth)

Samsung Electronics Booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

At the Samsung Electronics booth at the 'International Climate Industry Expo' opened on the 25th, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics met in Busan to share concerns about carbon neutrality and energy saving. An official from LG Electronics H&A Business Division, who visited the Samsung booth, said, "It seems that the exhibition focuses on energy-saving technologies," and added, "LG Electronics is also putting a lot of thought into continuously introducing better products and solutions to achieve carbon neutrality."

LG Group Booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

On this day, Samsung Electronics introduced its own method to minimize environmental impact throughout the semiconductor production and disposal process under the theme of 'Semiconductor Technology for Sustainability.' A booth official explained, "Through the large-capacity integrated greenhouse gas treatment facility 'RCS,' the only one in the global semiconductor industry, we have increased the carbon treatment efficiency from manufacturing processes up to 95%," and added, "We are increasing the reuse of water and purifying emissions cleaner than legal standards."

Hosted by 12 government ministries including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, this three-day event featured about 500 domestic and international companies with 2,195 booths showcasing various carbon reduction new technologies.

Hyundai Motor Group showcased various eco-friendly mobility solutions that enhance both environmental friendliness and efficiency. At the Hyundai booth, crowds gathered from all directions to see a large hydrogen fuel cell truck measuring 3.7 meters in height and 7 meters in length. A booth official said, "The hydrogen fuel cell truck can carry 6,400 liters of liquid and can spray 1,000 liters per minute, so it can also be used to extinguish fires," adding, "The vehicle sprays liquid within a 3.2-meter wide radius from the rear, making it a clean and noiseless eco-friendly mobility solution." The EV9, the first large electric model SUV made by Kia, was also very popular. A booth official said, "There is high interest in the EV9, which was unveiled in person for the first time at this event," and added, "The EV9, which is currently accepting pre-orders, can travel up to 500 km on a single charge."

Hydrogen electric truck displayed at Hyundai Motor Group booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

"Can I take a photo?" A man in his 40s visiting the HD Hyundai booth asked an employee while pointing at a mock-up of a future hydrogen carrier ship that looked like a small spaceship. This vessel applies fully autonomous navigation technology without any crew onboard. Kim Hyun-jae, a researcher from Avikus Large Vessel Autonomous Navigation Team, said, "Unlike conventional ships that have a bridge and cabins, as you can see, this is a fully unmanned carrier ship," and added, "Wing sails are equipped with solar modules to install an eco-friendly power chain."

Mockup of a future hydrogen carrier ship exhibited at the HD Group booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

The Doosan Group booth, which unveiled a hydrogen gas turbine for the first time, was swarmed with crowds. Visitors asked many questions about the roles of hundreds of blades attached to the turbine and the principles of power generation. A booth official said, "Since succeeding in domestic production of industrial gas turbines in 2019, we have been focusing on developing hydrogen combustion turbines that use only hydrogen as fuel," and added, "As an intermediate step, we are also developing hydrogen co-combustion turbines that can use both hydrogen and LNG."

Doosan Group Booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

Visitors were also very curious about the manufacturing principles of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Doosan is the only SMR manufacturer in Korea and produces main forged and cast materials for NewsScale in the U.S. at its Changwon plant. Forged and cast materials refer to 'casting,' which involves pouring molten metal into molds, and 'forging,' which shapes metal by pressing it with a press machine. Park Soo-yong, head of the Nuclear BG team, said, "Although we started SMR development early, it has been delayed longer than other countries due to the nuclear phase-out policy," and added, "However, with the recent pro-nuclear policy, the nuclear industry is gradually reviving, so we expect to quickly regain lost technological capabilities."

Hydrogen gas turbine at the Doosan Group booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

At the POSCO booth, visitors showed great interest in hydrogen reduction steelmaking, a steelmaking technology that does not use coal. POSCO plans to install a demo plant applying electric furnace and hydrogen reduction steelmaking technology at the Pohang Steelworks by 2026. Kim Do-eun, a graduate student in the Department of Future Electronics Convergence Engineering at Dongguk University, said, "Since POSCO can apply eco-friendly technology using existing steelmaking equipment, it seems to have advantages in terms of infrastructure."

POSCO booth at the Climate Industry International Expo on the 25th
Photo by Choi Seoyoon

On the same day, the 'International Nuclear Clean Hydrogen Business Forum' was held as a special event of the International Climate Industry Expo. The 150 experts from the nuclear and hydrogen industries gathered on-site agreed that nuclear power is a competitive source for hydrogen production and that this is a global trend. Lukas Mir, leader of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), who gave the keynote speech, emphasized, "Governments and industries must cooperate immediately to commercially utilize nuclear energy systems, including nuclear hybrid energy systems with hydrogen and SMRs." In a subsequent lecture, Pierre Gaboual, head of SMR R&D at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), said, "Under the common goal of optimizing high-temperature electrolysis systems, we can cooperate with Korea through various projects."

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