KADEX 2026: Major Defense Companies Confirm Participation Following DAPA Sponsorship Approval

The enthusiasm for participation in the Republic of Korea Ground Forces Defense Industry Exhibition, KADEX 2026, is spreading rapidly following the approval of sponsorship by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Major domestic defense companies, including Hyundai Rotem, Hyundai WIA, Kia, Hanwha Aerospace, Poongsan, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), LIG Nex1, Korea Defense Industry (KDI), STX Engine, and Huneed Technologies, have completed their applications to participate.

Notably, while there was only one overseas national pavilion at the previous event, this time the number has expanded to over ten, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, India, and Canada, signaling the full-scale globalization of KADEX. An official from the Army Association, which is hosting KADEX 2026, explained, "The early closure of booth applications reflects the high level of satisfaction among participating companies with the results of KADEX 2024 held at Gyeryongdae, as well as growing expectations for this exhibition."

Major companies, including the domestic defense industry's 'Big 3,' confirmed their participation early on. Hyundai Motor Group, Poongsan, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Korea Defense Industry (KDI), Huneed Technologies, STX Engine, and Dasan Machinery had already applied for booths last year, and recently Hanwha Group and LIG Nex1 also completed their registrations. Poongsan and LIG Nex1 have each applied for 50 booths, expanding their scale compared to the previous exhibition, and Hyundai Motor Group is also actively considering increasing its booth size after applying for the same number of booths.

As of the end of January, 382 companies have confirmed their participation, accounting for 1,519 booths, already surpassing the 1,432 booths at KADEX 2024. With the addition of local government promotion halls and government booths, the final number is expected to approach 2,000 booths. Accordingly, the Army Association plans to expand the exhibition area from 37,600 square meters in 2024 to 45,000 square meters, which is larger than the entire exhibition space at COEX.

Another notable feature of KADEX 2026 is the increase in overseas national pavilions and foreign company participation. The India Pavilion, which was the only national pavilion at the previous exhibition, has confirmed participation with more than double the scale at 30 booths. Saudi Arabia has decided to participate with a 70-booth national pavilion, the largest ever for a Korean defense exhibition. The United States is also preparing a large-scale national pavilion featuring global defense companies and AI firms such as Bell, Moog, nLIGHT, Acrow Bridge, and IMSAR. In addition, countries such as T?rkiye, Germany, Taiwan, Italy, and Spain are in final negotiations regarding their participation scale.

The recruitment of overseas delegations and buyers will also be significantly expanded. The number of overseas delegations, which stood at 27 countries in 2024, is planned to be increased to over 50 countries. To this end, official sponsorship has been approved by the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and now the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. In February, a survey will be conducted to identify the countries and targets that participating companies wish to invite, and early invitations will be extended in cooperation with relevant agencies.

The invitation of private overseas buyers will also be strengthened. KADEX 2026 is the only defense industry exhibition selected for KOTRA's 'Support Program for Attracting Overseas Buyers to Domestic Exhibitions,' which will utilize KOTRA's global trade network to invite buyers. Additionally, the Army Association will work with overseas defense agents and major defense exhibition organizers such as AUSA (USA), IDEF (T?rkiye), WDS (Saudi Arabia), and DSA (Malaysia) to both discover and invite buyers.

Starting this year, if a participating company directly invites a buyer, the secretariat will provide hotel and transportation support. Through an MOU with the Korea Defense Diplomacy Association, a gathering of military attach?s from foreign embassies in Korea, private diplomatic channels will also be activated. Through these efforts, KADEX 2026 aims to attract more than 5,000 overseas buyers, more than double the 2,161 in 2024, and plans to facilitate practical purchase and export consultations on-site through pre-arranged matchmaking.

Heo Ukgu, Secretary General of the Army Association, stated, "The strategic location of Gyeryongdae, adjacent to the headquarters of the three armed services, Logistics Command, Education Command, branch schools, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the Agency for Defense Development, has been recognized by companies as a major advantage. The KADEX 2026 Organizing Committee will do its utmost to improve infrastructure such as hotels, meals, parking, and shuttle buses to prepare a world-class defense industry exhibition."

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