Korea's exhibition industry counted 58,830 businesses under a new statistical classification

Korea's 2024 business-side survey counted 58,830 exhibition-industry companies employing 152,785 people, with revenue of 17,202,726 million won and operating profit of 1,204,853 million won. The four segments carry very different weights. Exhibition services accounted for 32,350 companies, 55.0 percent of the total, 93,999 employees and 7,544,159 million won of revenue. Design, construction and manufacturing followed with 17,451 companies, 37,509 employees and 4,612,071 million won. Venue operators numbered 5,314 with 1,425,207 million won, and organisers only 3,715 companies, 6.3 percent of the total, but 3,621,290 million won or 21.1 percent of revenue. The industry is overwhelmingly small: 51,133 companies, 86.9 percent, employ four people or fewer, and they account for 53.9 percent of revenue. The figures rest on a new special classification that expanded the surveyed industries from 12 to 91 and the population from 2,481 companies on a 2023 basis to 58,830. The survey states that this year's business results cannot be compared with earlier years, and that regional and organisation-type figures should be used as reference.