Companies from the Busan region won a record number of Innovation Awards at CES 2026, the world’s largest consumer electronics and information technology (IT) trade show. The Busan Metropolitan City Government has moved to expand its networks on all fronts to support local companies in attracting investment and advancing overseas.

The city announced on the 11th that it operated an “Integrated Busan Pavilion” at this year’s event, held in Las Vegas from the 6th to the 9th, and pursued a global market strategy under the “Team Busan” framework, with participation from 28 local innovation companies and six universities.

This year, Busan-based companies received a total of 13 CES Innovation Awards, including two Best of Innovation Awards. This significantly surpassed last year’s record high of seven awards. Korea LFP Co., Ltd., a local company that won a CES Innovation Award last year, recently attracted an investment of USD 3 million (about KRW 4 billion) from global investment firm CoInvest, after its core secondary battery materials technology was recognized.

A city official stated, “This year as well, the focus was on actively promoting the outstanding technologies of local innovation companies and generating tangible business outcomes.” To this end, the city hosted a “Global Business Networking Day” in Las Vegas on the afternoon of the 7th. The event was attended by more than 150 participants, including venture capital (VC) firms and global buyers.

Participating companies took part in corporate presentations and one-on-one business meetings with global investors and buyers, exploring opportunities for overseas market expansion and investment attraction. In particular, this year’s program was prepared in a way that enabled local universities to showcase specialized technologies alongside companies and share joint research achievements. University student supporters dispatched to the site familiarized themselves in advance with each company’s technologies and products, then provided interpretation and consultation support, serving as a bridge for global business discussions.

Earlier that morning, the Busan Economic Promotion Agency signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency, laying the groundwork to support local companies’ entry into European markets and to expand economic and trade cooperation. Subsequently, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon and other city officials visited Samsung Electronics’ exclusive exhibition hall at the Wynn Hotel to examine the future technology strategies of a global leading company.

On the 8th, they toured the Las Vegas Convention Center, the main exhibition venue of CES 2026, and visited the exhibition halls of LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group, among others, to review the latest technology trends in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and digital health. On this occasion, the city comprehensively examined how these developments could be linked with its policies for fostering advanced strategic industries based on robots and AI.

Mayor Park said, “We will actively apply advanced technology cases, such as robotics, identified during this CES visit to the development of Busan’s strategic industries and urban innovation policies,” adding, “We will further accelerate international cooperation and the attraction of private investment so that Busan can leap forward as a city with global competitiveness, where technology, culture, sports, and tourism converge.”

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