495 companies from 30 countries participated with 1,495 booths.

The World IT Show 2018, Asia's largest information and communications technology (ICT) festival hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will be held at COEX for four days from May 23rd to 26th.

The World IT Show is an information and communications technology (ICT) exhibition that began in 2008 and is now in its 11th year. Every year, leading domestic and international ICT companies showcase innovative new technologies and products.

This year's event will feature 495 companies from 30 countries, occupying 1,495 booths. Major participants include 57 international companies, including Qualcomm, and 450 domestic companies, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom, KT, and Kia Motors.

The theme of World IT Show 2018 is 'IT's Smart!' Companies will showcase new products and services in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G mobile communications, augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), autonomous driving, smart cities & smart grids, smart agriculture, immersive media, O4O (Online for Offline), big data, and blockchain technology, which are attracting attention as key industry issues this year.

The Reality Interaction Human Sensitivity Solution Research Group is revealing the world's first/best source technologies for realizing a "coexistence reality" where you can see, hear, touch, and feel the sensation of being together with friends in a realistic exchange expanded space, as if you were gathered in the same place by connecting to the network from anywhere in the world.

In addition to the exhibition, World IT Show 2018 will also host events such as the 'Global ICT Trend Insight', where prominent figures in the domestic and international ICT fields will be invited to share the latest ICT technology trends, and the 'Global Accelerator Conference & Demo Day', where promising domestic startups will be provided with opportunities to attract investment by inviting overseas accelerators (ACs) and venture capital firms (VCs).

In addition, the Korea International Trade Association will host an 'Overseas Buyer Invitation Export Consultation' to support exports and investment attraction for promising domestic ICT companies by inviting overseas buyers from the Americas, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

In addition, there are 'World IT Show 2018 New Technology/New Product Presentation', 'ICT Major Field Innovative Technology Development Outstanding Company Awards Ceremony', 'ICT Future Talent Forum', and 'ICT Technology Commercialization Festival' to discover innovative technologies of small and medium-sized participating companies. It opens.

It is also noteworthy that visitors can see a variety of new products from small and medium-sized enterprises, venture companies, and startups that have already been recognized for their innovative ideas and technological prowess at overseas IT exhibitions.

A variety of ICT convergence products that will attract the attention of not only buyers but also general visitors will be on display, including ‘Deliai’, which showcases artificial intelligence CCTV, Mintpot, which showcases ‘Pitching War’, the world’s first virtual reality interview training platform based on real-life situations, ‘Roborus’, which showcases a smart ordering robot, ‘JobCallMe’, which showcases a real-time job search platform utilizing big data, and ‘Elimnet’, which showcases remote collaboration and medical treatment solutions.

This exhibition will also feature the "ITRC Forum 2018," a showcase of research achievements and technologies from the University ICT Research Center. The center will share its outstanding R&D achievements and best practices from creative, autonomous projects to promote its research excellence. Furthermore, it will promote industry connections through networking opportunities between companies and universities, recruiting fairs, and other initiatives.

The exhibition booths are divided into 7 fields: ▲Future Society Industrial ICT Convergence ▲Future Society Safety and Security ▲Smart Life and Health ▲Smart Infrastructure ▲Smart Content and Wearables ▲Intelligent Platform and Service ▲Special Exhibition Hall, and 37 research centers from 29 universities are participating.

In particular, the Korea University Artificial Intelligence Research Center demonstrates the era of personalized AI through its "Embedded Interface for Smart Devices Using Ultra-Miniature Intelligence." Sogang University's Smart Fintech Research Center demonstrates a blockchain-based fintech service platform. Inha University's Artificial Intelligence Content Creation Research Center introduces an artificial intelligence content creation system and an autonomous image recognition drone.

This year's World IT Show has prepared various programs to help domestic small and medium-sized enterprises and venture companies expand overseas and to boost exports, such as the 'Global ICT/IoT Big Buyer Invitation Overseas Expansion Strategy Seminar', which invites overseas ICT big buyers to hear and share information on local ICT market trends and entry strategies, in order to promote exchanges and overseas business between small and medium-sized enterprises and venture companies.

Transactions aimed at achieving specific business outcomes, such as entering overseas markets, are expected to become more active. Last year, the World IT Show saw 703 business negotiations worth a total of $51.13 million. This year, 495 companies are expected to participate in 1,495 booths, attracting approximately 125,000 attendees.