By Jin Hyun-joo (Korea Times)

Korea`s biggest IT trade fair will open next week in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, bringing together industry titans and more than 800 firms, 80,000 buyers and other participants.

The Oct. 13-16 fair will showcase consumer electronics, home appliances, semiconductor and display products as well IT convergence products involving automobiles or medical services.

The Korea Electronics Grand Fair 2009 will focus on market-ready products rather than brand new ones, Francis Kang, director of the Korea Electronics Association, said.

The show will be attended by not only manufacturers of parts and finished products, but also content firms, design companies and distributors in an “industry value chain,” Kang said.

He also said the upcoming show was little affected by the economic downturn, unlike other tech fairs in Korea and overseas, saying the number of participating firms had risen 10 percent from last year.

The key participating companies of the fair are Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, LG Display and Hynix from Korea and 3M and HP from the United States. Japan`s automaker Nissan also plans to make a rare appearance at an electronics show.

Chief executives of Korea`s leading tech companies will also show up at the event. They include Lee Youn-woo of Samsung Electronics; Nam Yong of LG Electronics; Kwon Young-soo of LG Display; Kim Jong-kap of Hynix Semiconductors; and Hur Young-ho of LG Innotek.

A total of 2,275 booths will be set up on the KINTEX exhibition center, which has a total exhibiting space of 53,541 square meters.

The event is hosted by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Gyeonggi Province and organized by Korea Electronics Association; Korea Semiconductor Industry Association; Korea Display Industry Association; and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

(hjjin@heraldm.com)

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/10/07/200910070034.asp