[CES 2026] South Korea fields 853 companies, 3rd largest presence

CES logo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Jan. 4, 2026. Aju News Corporation Special Jointed Press Corps.

LAS VEGAS, January 05 (AJP) - South Korea is fielding 853 companies to the world’s largest technology showcase, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, cementing its position as the third-largest national contingent despite a sharp decline from last year.

The Korea Information & Communication Technology Industry Association (KICTA) said the figure marks a 17.2 percent drop from 1,031 Korean participants at CES 2025. The pullback was driven primarily by startups, which fell to 458 from 641 a year earlier, while general corporate exhibitors edged up to 395.

"A single booth can cost at least 100 million won once accommodation, logistics, patent filings and rental fees are included. The amount can be quite burdening for startups," said Lee Han-bum, president of the KICTA.

Major conglomerates are also scaling back their presence along CES’s main exhibition avenues.

SK Group — which staged large, multi-affiliate pavilions from 2019 to 2025 — will send only SK hynix this year.

HD Hyundai, a regular CES participant known for showcasing next-generation autonomous vessel technologies, will skip the show entirely. Hyundai Motor Group is also scaling down its exhibition footprint, pulling back software and autonomous-driving displays in areas where U.S. rivals currently dominate.

Samsung Electronics, meanwhile, plans to host its showcase at a private hotel rather than its usual anchor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall, which has increasingly been occupied by Chinese electronics giants such as TCL and Hisense.

CES 2026, which opens Monday in Las Vegas, has drawn about 4,300 companies from roughly 160 countries, down from around 4,800 exhibitors in 2025. The decline reflects reduced participation from South Korea and China, which together accounted for much of the overall drop.

The United States leads this year with 1,476 registered companies, followed by China with 942 and South Korea in third place. France and Taiwan round out the top five with 160 and 132 firms, respectively.

Asian companies from South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong comprise about 2,200 exhibitors, or 51 percent of the total, down from roughly 60 percent last year. China's participation tumbled 29.7 percent to 942 firms from 1,339, partly due to what industry experts say visa delays and reduced advance booth purchases by local agents.

Still, Korean firms will dominate the startup-strong Eureka Park pavilion, with 411 companies accounting for the largest national presence among 1,100 global entrants. The United States trails with 195, followed by France at 145.

About 80 percent of Korean participants, or 689 companies, will exhibit in group pavilions backed by government agencies, local authorities, universities and conglomerates. Some 164 firms secured independent booths at their own expense.

This year's CES carries the theme "Innovators Show Up," with artificial intelligence, robotics, digital health, mobility and smart home technologies highlighted as key exhibition categories.

Kim Dong-young davekim0807@ajupress.com