32 countries, 506 companies and 1,300 booths at BEXCO; record 162 overseas firms from 31 countries to participate

A participant breaks down a bluefin tuna at the Busan International Seafood Expo held at BEXCO last November. [Provided by Busan city government]
A participant breaks down a bluefin tuna at the Busan International Seafood Expo held at BEXCO last November. [Provided by Busan city government]

Busan city will hold the 2026 Busan International Seafood Expo — its 24th edition — at BEXCO's Exhibition Hall 1 for three days from Wednesday through Friday, the city announced Tuesday.

Hosted by Busan city and co-organized by BEXCO and the Korea Fisheries Trade Association, the expo is an international trade show covering the full range of the fisheries industry, including seafood products, fishing equipment, smart aquaculture and marine biotech. It is backed by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The expo was first held in 2003 and received international certification from the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) in 2008.

This year's event will span 1,300 booths with 506 companies from 32 countries, and overseas participation is expected to reach a record high with 162 companies from 31 countries. Eight countries — Finland, the Netherlands, Argentina, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Germany and Russia — will take part for the first time, showcasing a range of seafood products and technologies.

The opening ceremony at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1 on Wednesday afternoon will be attended by about 60 guests, including Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, Deputy Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Nam Jae-heon, National Assembly member Jo Seung-hwan and National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives Chairman Noh Dong-jin. A related event — the 10th Marine Fisheries Human Resources Development Day ceremony — will also be held, under the theme "A decade together, opening a new century for Korea's fisheries industry."

The Marine Fisheries Human Resources Development Day, established and proclaimed annually on Oct. 31 through a private-sector initiative to build public awareness of nurturing future talent in the sector, will draw about 1,200 attendees. Mayor Jeon will be appointed as an honorary fisheries knowledge leader, and 11 university and high school students from Busan — six university students and five high school students — will be selected as the 14th class of Shin Ji scholarship recipients.

The exhibition floor will be organized into six zones: a seafood products hall, a fishing equipment and smart aquaculture hall, an overseas companies hall, a marine fisheries startup investment support hall, a marine blue biotech hall, and a special hall dedicated to the fish cake, dried seaweed and mackerel industries.

An overseas buyer trade consultation session will bring together more than 80 international buyers and domestic seafood exporters for a KOTRA export consultation, a global business consultation, a domestic retail buyer consultation and an on-site export consultation. Alongside these, the expo will host a marine biotech business connect forum, a Korea aquaculture technology workshop, an international academic conference by the Korean Federation of Fisheries Science and Technology Societies, and the Busan Fisheries Policy Forum.

"We will do our utmost to make the Busan International Seafood Expo a place that provides business opportunities for companies and a chance for visitors to experience outstanding seafood and fisheries equipment," Mayor Jeon said.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com