Korea's busiest exhibition categories are not its most international ones

Korea's 736 exhibitions in 2024 are classified into 17 product categories, and the ranking changes depending on what is counted. By number of shows, agriculture, fisheries, livestock and food led with 128, ahead of leisure, tourism and sport on 107, culture and arts on 87, pregnancy, birth and childcare on 58, construction and interiors on 57 and electrical, electronics, ICT and broadcasting on 46. By exhibitors the order is similar: food led with 17,801 companies, culture and arts 16,556, leisure 13,338, electronics 10,360 and construction 10,190. International participation sits elsewhere. Metals, machinery and equipment averaged 70 foreign exhibitors out of 223, and textiles, clothing and jewellery 64 out of 195, against a national average of 22 out of 156. Wedding shows averaged 2 foreign exhibitors out of 72 and childcare shows 6 out of 103. Certification follows the same line: energy and environment certified 61.5 percent of its shows, electronics 58.7 percent and metals and machinery 53.1 percent, while wedding shows certified none of 19 and finance and real estate 1 of 28.