The Korean bioindustry made a significant impact at the BIO International Convention 2026 (BIO USA), the world’s largest biotech event, by operating its largest-ever Korean pavilion and hosting its first official Korean session.
The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization announced on June 26 that it held the Korean pavilion, the official conference session Korea Rising, and the global networking event Korea Night @BIO 2026 from June 22 to 25 in San Diego, California.
The pavilion, jointly operated by the organization and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), expanded to 6,500 square feet (about 604 sqaure meter), significantly larger than last year’s. This year, a total of 51 domestic biotech companies participated, including 26 outstanding firms selected by the two organizations and others that joined through various agencies and institutes.
Participating companies showcased their research and development (R&D) achievements and key pipelines across various sectors of the bioindustry, including new drug development platforms, contract development and manufacturing (CDMO), clinical trials, molecular diagnostics, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug development.
The pavilion also featured an Open Stage program where 29 companies presented their R&D outcomes and global business strategies, while business development meetings with overseas partners took place in the exhibition area.
This year’s BIO USA introduced an official conference session focused on the Korean bioindustry for the first time. The session, titled Korea Rising: Don’t Be Late to Asia’s Next Innovation Hub, featured panelists from various organizations and companies.
During the session, it was emphasized that Korea has already established itself as a global innovation hub, possessing world-class new drug pipelines and the most First-in-Class innovative assets in Asia, following the U.S. and China. Speakers stressed the need for the Korean bioindustry to embrace diverse business models beyond initial public offerings (IPOs) to take the next leap forward.
The importance of creating a virtuous cycle where global business development and clinical development experiences spread across the entire industry was highlighted.
Industry leaders noted that while Korea has sufficient innovative technologies, it lacks the funding to fully develop them. They emphasized the need to grow into an industry that achieves larger-scale technology transfers and royalty-based revenues by developing projects through late-stage clinical trials.
Executives stressed that sustained growth is challenging with only the domestic market, urging the industry to establish a more flexible, agile, and open collaboration system.
It was shared that some companies are expanding their R&D ecosystems beyond manufacturing by collaborating with global pharmaceutical giants to create innovation startup incubation spaces.
The organization highlighted that this official session marked the first instance of the main BIO USA conference addressing the Korean bioindustry as an independent agenda item.
The global networking event Korea Night @BIO 2026 took place on June 23, jointly organized by four key institutions and supported by a total of 17 organizations.
The event attracted over 1,200 participants from various sectors, with 55% of attendees coming from overseas.
A Korea-U.S. bioindustry roundtable was also held, including representatives from government agencies and member companies from both countries.
Participants discussed key challenges in market entry, such as policy stability, pricing and insurance reimbursement systems, cold chain logistics, and visa issuance, and explored ways to improve regulations and foster collaboration.
The organization plans to continue supporting participating companies to ensure the networks established during this event lead to practical business outcomes.
An executive remarked that the global bioindustry is now an era where companies worldwide connect technologies and capabilities, rather than one country leading innovation. He concluded that this year’s BIO USA demonstrated Korea’s significance and capabilities to the global market.
BIO USA 2027 is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization represents the domestic bioindustry, advocating for policy recommendations, providing corporate support, developing professional workforce, and assisting in overseas expansion. It serves as a bridge between the industry, government, and market.
