From March 19 to 22, domestic medical device companies will seek opportunities for global expansion at the Korea International Medical & Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES) 2026, Korea’s largest medical device exhibition, held at Convention & Exhibition Center (COEX) in Seoul.
Industry reports from Thursday indicate that the domestic digital medical device sector is experiencing rapid growth. The share of digital medical devices in total medical device exports surged from 7.8% (520 million USD) in 2020 to 12.6% (660 million USD) in 2023.
KIMES, celebrating its 46th year since its 1980 debut, is set to showcase the innovative fusion of Korea’s advanced information technology (IT) infrastructure and medical technology.
This year, KIMES will be accompanied by several concurrent events, including the 2026 Global Medical Device Export Consultation (GMEP 2026), Medical Korea 2026, MedTech Spotlight: New Impact Korea 2026, and the European Union (EU) Business Hub@KIMES 2026.
Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency’s (KOTRA) ‘2026 Global Medical Device Export Consultation’ is scheduled for March 19-20 at COEX. Covering all medical device sectors, including digital healthcare and diagnostic equipment, this year’s event will host a record-breaking 400 domestic companies and 180 buyers from 55 countries.
Following last year’s success of 2,107 export consultations and 27 million USD in contracts, over 2,500 consultations are anticipated this year.
Medical Korea 2026, organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will run from March 19-22 at COEX and the Westin Seoul Parnas. This marks the 16th iteration of this global healthcare and medical tourism conference.
Under the theme AI Opens Global Healthcare: Bringing the Future Closer, Connecting the World, keynote speeches will be delivered by Jeong Eun-young, Director of the Health Industry Policy Bureau, and Edward Marx, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marx Advisory.
MedTech Spotlight, Co-Hosted by the Agency and MTI APAC, Also Draws Interest
MedTech Spotlight: New Impact Korea 2026 will take place on March 19-20 at COEX and Sonofelice Convention Center. This Ministry of Health and Welfare initiative aims to connect domestic medical device and digital health companies with global partners.
The event features one-on-one pitch coaching sessions for 16 pre-selected companies on March 19, followed by live pitch sessions before global industry experts on March 20.
Participating companies will benefit from expert feedback and global networking opportunities, with top performers potentially joining the MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific Accelerator Program (MTI APAC) 2026 cohort.
The European Commission-sponsored EU Business Hub will operate at COEX for four days, featuring about 50 European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups in medical devices, healthcare artificial intelligence (AI), and telemedicine.
An industry spokesperson emphasized the importance of global ecosystem connections for validating technology and expanding commercialization opportunities. They expressed hope that this event would strengthen the foundation for domestic companies entering international markets.