Gyeongsangbuk-do is hosting the "2026 Marine & Fishery Expo" from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20, for three days in Hall 5 of the Daegu EXCO East Wing, aiming to promote the excellence of marine fishery products and discover future growth engines for the marine fishery industry.

Hosted by Gyeongsangbuk-do and organized by the East Sea Institute of Technology (EIT), the expo is held under the slogan "The Future of Marine Fisheries, Meet in Gyeongbuk!" with a scale of 83 companies and 200 booths. Approximately 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the event.

This year’s expo leaps beyond the exhibition and sale of Gyeongbuk’s high-quality marine fishery products into an industrial expo connecting corporate growth, exports, investment, and distribution. It showcases the present and future of Gyeongbuk's marine fishery industry based on three core strategies: participatory, business, and future-industrial expos.

At the opening ceremony on the 18th, following the opening performance and exhibition tour, Gyeongsangbuk-do, overseas buyer PT INDOGAL AGRO TRADING, and local fishery company Ajin Co., Ltd. will sign a three-way business agreement. The agreement will support entry into the Indonesian market and expand exports, while strengthening cooperation in opening overseas markets through buyer, importer, and distributor linkages, sharing market and distribution information, and holding export consultation sessions and exhibitions.

An export contract worth $5 million will also be signed to expand overseas sales channels for local fishery companies. The event will operate export consultation sessions, an IR demo day for marine fishery startup investment attraction, and an entry evaluation session featuring major domestic supermarket merchandise directors (MDs), connecting exports, investment, and distribution.

The "Seafood School Meal Contest," held for the first time this year, will feature 12 teams composed of school chefs, nutritionists, and students from within the province, presenting Gyeongbuk seafood school meal menus. The "Large Bluefin Tuna Dismantling Show" will feature a dismantling demonstration by Sajo Industries experts and tuna sushi tastings.

The expo will also exhibit seafood promotion and sales using AI virtual humans, smart marine equipment such as underwater drones and robot fish, seaweed cosmetics, and marine waste recycling products. Red snow crab tastings, up to 70% guerrilla sales, visitor discount coupons, making sea grape moisture cream and fish scale collagen mist, and hands-on experiences like underwater drones, robot fish, and shrimp catching will also be operated.

Yang Geum-hee, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, said, "This year's Marine & Fishery Expo has taken a leap forward into an industrial expo where companies, buyers, investments, and distribution channels come together," adding, "We will actively support these business agreements and export contracts so that they lead to substantive overseas market entry and sales channel expansion, creating new growth engines for Gyeongbuk's marine fishery industry."

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