The organizing committee for the Korea Defense Industry Exhibition (KADEX 2026) announced on May 17 that it has appointed Kim Hyun-jong, who played a key role in the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the termination of the U.S.-Korea missile guidelines, as the co-chair of KADEX 2026.
KADEX 2026 has received applications from over 450 companies across 21 countries, with confirmed participation from ten nations, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, India, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Vietnam, Latvia, and Portugal. Internationally, 63 companies from 20 countries will participate with 350 booths.
Additionally, the committee has recently signed a contract with GLOBSEC, one of the world's top five security forums, which will feature more than four speakers at the ministerial level.
The KADEX organizing committee stated, "By appointing Kim Hyun-jong, one of our country's leading experts in trade and security, we aim to maximize the effectiveness of Korea's representative defense exhibition."
Kim, the new co-chair of KADEX, previously served as the head of the international trade advisory group during Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign. During Roh Moo-hyun's presidency, he was the head of the Trade Negotiation Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he designed and concluded simultaneous FTA negotiations with 45 countries, including the U.S.-Korea FTA. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, he aggressively concluded the renegotiation of the U.S.-Korea FTA, securing exemptions from tariffs on Korean steel.
Later, as the second deputy director of the National Security Office, he is credited with fully terminating the 42-year-old U.S.-Korea missile guidelines through negotiations with both the Trump and Biden administrations, thereby restoring South Korea's sovereignty over missiles and space launch vehicles.
Eom Gi-hak, co-chair of KADEX 2026, remarked, "As K-defense aims to become one of the world's top four defense exporters, the addition of someone who has actually led defense technology sovereignty recovery and U.S.-Korea security negotiations will elevate KADEX's international status and credibility. The new co-chair will oversee the attraction of official foreign delegations and the establishment of government cooperation channels with major defense importers, enhancing overall international exchanges."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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