The 41st Korea International Medical & Hospital Equipment Show, KIMES 2026, concluded on a high note, drawing the largest attendance in its history. The event generated impressive business outcomes, including 2.3 trillion KRW (about 1.5 billion USD) in domestic consultations and 450 million USD in export consultations.
Korea E&EX announced on Monday that this year’s exhibition, co-hosted with the Korea Medical Device Industry Association and the Korea Medical Device Cooperative, achieved record-breaking results.
The exhibition ran from March 19 to 22 at the Convention & Exhibition Center (COEX) in Seoul’s Samseong-dong district. Spanning 45,000 square meters (about 484,375 sqaure feet), it featured 1,490 manufacturers from 41 countries, including 846 domestic and 644 international firms. They showcased over 39,000 products and technologies across various medical fields, including diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, rehabilitation, preventive care, dermatology, beauty care, and medical information technology (IT).
This year’s event set new benchmarks in several areas, including exhibitor and visitor numbers, and export consultation outcomes. It featured the first official keynote in its 46-year history, along with programs such as the Global Medical Device Export Exhibition and Consultation (GMEP) export consultation meeting, Medical Korea, the Inspire Beauty & Derm special pavilion, and medical conferences, further cementing its position as a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) driven medical business.
Notably, the exhibition attracted 75,003 visitors, including 5,464 international buyers. This marks a 3.4% increase from last year’s 72,507 attendees, setting a new record.
The overall business outcomes during the exhibition, including domestic and export consultations and contracts, amounted to 2.3 trillion KRW (about 1.5 billion USD) for domestic consultations and 450 million USD for export consultations. Actual contracts totaled 280 billion KRW (about 182 million USD) domestically and 170 million USD in exports.
The 2026 Global Medical Device Export Consultation Meeting (GMEP 2026), held in collaboration with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), also achieved record participation. Now in its 13th year, the event saw increased interest in medical devices incorporating AI, robotics, and digital technology. It brought together 370 domestic companies and 176 international buyers, resulting in over 2,000 consultations and 40 million USD in export contracts – a 49% increase from the previous year.
Medical Korea 2026, hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, also set a new record with 7,071 global health and medical professionals from 47 countries in attendance.
This year’s event introduced a business roundtable featuring participation from Ukrainian and U.S. government representatives and companies, establishing a foundation for collaboration with institutions seeking to enter those markets. The foreign patient attraction consultation meeting included 26 buyers from 16 countries and 141 domestic institutions, resulting in 641 consultations and 97 memorandums of understanding (MOUs). In the medical export consultation meeting, 12 overseas buyers from six countries met with 31 domestic companies, successfully concluding nine export contracts worth approximately 5.3 million USD through 130 business meetings.
Kim Jeong-jo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Korea E&EX, stated that KIMES 2026 has once again proven its role as a key global platform showcasing Korea’s advanced AI medical ecosystem, leveraging the country’s excellent IT infrastructure. Moving forward, KIMES will continue to establish itself as a core platform for sustainable growth in the Korean medical industry, from discovering medical startups to expanding overseas markets, by seamlessly integrating technology, investment, and policy.