Exhibitions planned for COEX to move to alternative venues during 2027-28 renovation

Major exhibitions scheduled at COEX will be relocated to alternative venues, including the SETEC Convention Center, as the complex prepares for a renovation next year.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday that 28 exhibitions will be distributed next year among nearby venues — the SETEC Convention Center, COEX Magok, the aT Center, KINTEX and Songdo Convensia — in place of COEX.

The move is intended to fill the gap created by the renovation, during which two of COEX's four exhibition halls will be shut down from July 2027 through December 2028.

The plan follows deliberations by an "exhibition industry cooperation task force" that the ministry formed in April, bringing together exhibition organizers, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and COEX to discuss renovation schedules and alternative venue assignments.

The ministry also held an MOU signing ceremony Tuesday at the SETEC Convention Center, with seven organizations participating: the Korea Exhibition Organizers Association, KITA, COEX, the Korea Exhibition Industry Promotion Association, SETEC, KINTEX and the Incheon Tourism Organization.

The participating organizations have drawn up concrete support measures to ensure exhibitions continue without disruption during the COEX renovation.

KITA and COEX will ease conditions for exhibitors by securing alternative exhibition and meeting spaces — including nearby movie theaters and hotel banquet halls — and extending setup and teardown exemption periods to reduce the burden on participating companies.

SETEC, KINTEX and the Incheon Tourism Organization will actively cooperate on venue rentals to help unassigned exhibitions find a location quickly.

The Korea Exhibition Industry Promotion Association will support alternative venue assignments and provide incentives — including subsidies for promotional and transportation costs — through its domestic exhibition support program. The Korea Exhibition Organizers Association will inform its member companies of available support and collect feedback and requests from the field.

"This MOU will serve as a starting point and a catalyst for wisely overcoming the crisis of disrupted exhibitions together with the industry," said Kang Gam-chan, director general for trade and investment at the ministry. "We plan to use this opportunity to ease the concentration of exhibitions in the Greater Seoul area and, starting next year, actively foster regional exhibitions in connection with the five-pole, three-special growth engine initiative, raising the global competitiveness of the exhibition industry to the next level."