K-DEX 2026 has moved into the final months of preparation for its first unified edition, with exhibitor applications covering more than 1,700 booths and international participation continuing to take shape ahead of the December exhibition.
The event will be held from December 8 to 11, 2026, at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang. K-DEX was established through the integration of KADEX and DX KOREA, bringing Korea’s two major ground defence exhibitions together under a single platform.
Industry response has been one of the clearest early indicators of the new exhibition’s progress. More than 1,700 booths have been included in applications received to date, and further participation requests are now being placed on a waiting list as available exhibition space becomes limited.
The unified format is designed to retain the business networks and institutional relationships built through both predecessor events while providing overseas participants with a more direct route into Korea’s defence-industrial ecosystem. Rather than operating parallel exhibitions, K-DEX will concentrate participating companies, public-sector stakeholders and international partners within one event framework.
Overseas participation is developing alongside domestic demand. Nine national pavilions have been confirmed from the United States, India, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Portugal.
Organisers are also coordinating with foreign defence organisations, embassies, industry associations and official delegations in preparation for the December event.
The exhibition comes as Korean defence companies expand their activities across international markets and pursue a wider range of industrial relationships. Cooperation with overseas partners increasingly involves localisation, joint development, technology partnerships, production cooperation and supply-chain participation in addition to conventional equipment sales.
K-DEX is intended to provide a venue where those relationships can be developed through direct interaction among industry, government and military stakeholders. Official delegations, procurement authorities, defence attachés, defence-industry representatives and international buyers are expected to take part in G2G, G2B and B2B meetings held throughout the exhibition.
The business program will focus on procurement opportunities, market access, technology cooperation and longer-term industrial partnerships.
Conferences, seminars and networking activities will complement the meeting program, allowing participants to move from initial contact to more detailed discussions on potential cooperation.
A National Defense Briefing will add a country-level dimension to the international program. Participating countries will be able to outline defence priorities, capability requirements, procurement environments and areas of industrial interest to Korean and international government, military and industry audiences.
With exhibitor demand established and international participation becoming more defined, K-DEX 2026 is now moving beyond the integration announcement and into the implementation of its first combined edition. Further information on participating companies, official delegations and international programs will be announced as preparations continue.
K-DEX 2026 will take place from December 8 to 11, 2026, at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, Republic of Korea.
The exhibition is hosted by the Korea Defense Industry Association (KDIA), the Association of the Republic of Korea Army (AROKA) and the Korea Defense Industry MICE Association (KDM), and organised by Defense Expo, MindsGround and MESSE ESANG.