Press Releases
Ministry of Health and Welfare
Apr 29,2026
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, Minister Jeong Eun Kyeong) and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI, President Cha Soon-do) announced that BIO KOREA 2026 will be held over three days, from Tuesday, April 28, to Thursday, April 30, at COEX Hall C in Seoul.
Marking its 21st edition since its launch in 2006, BIO KOREA has played a major role in showcasing the technological capabilities of Korea’s biohealth industry to the world and elevating its global standing by promoting international business transactions and exchanges. In doing so, it has established itself as Korea’s leading international biohealth convention.
* A total of 775 companies from 59 countries are participating, including 356 international companies, or 45.9% of the total, as of April 26.
Under the theme “Breakthrough, Beyond the Future,” this year’s event will feature a wide range of programs, including business partnering, exhibitions, and conferences.
1. Business Partnering
Business partnering provides a platform where companies, investors, and research institutions with shared interests, identified through advance matching, can hold on-site meetings to promote commercialization through joint research, technology transfer, investment, and other forms of collaboration.
In response to growing demand among domestic and international pharmaceutical companies for global collaboration, the number of partnering booths has nearly doubled, from 68 in 2025 to 128 in 2026. With strong participation from pharmaceutical and biotech companies in Korea and abroad*, the program is expected to create valuable opportunities for biotech ventures seeking collaboration with major pharmaceutical companies.
* Major participating companies include global firms such as Bayer, Daiichi Sankyo, Johnson & Johnson, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Eli Lilly, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, and Insilico Medicine, as well as Chong Kun Dang, SK bioscience, ST Pharm, GC Biopharma, Yuhan Corporation, LG Chem, Dong Wha Pharm, and Ildong Pharmaceutical.
2. Exhibition
The exhibition will feature 364 booths from 299 companies, including 130 international companies, comprising individual exhibition booths from pharmaceutical companies in Korea and abroad, a regenerative medicine pavilion, and country pavilions. Leading Korean pharmaceutical companies such as Yuhan Corporation, GC Biopharma, and ST Pharm will participate alongside global pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and Lonza.
In addition, delegations from 77 companies representing eight countries* will participate in country pavilions led by diplomatic missions and trade representative offices in Korea, where they will engage in active business networking with interested Korean companies.
* Participating countries: Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan
3. Conference
The conference will bring together 101 biohealth experts from 11 countries, including Korea, as speakers. Presentations and discussions will be held across 12 sessions under six themes: Investment Trends, Open Innovation, AI & Digital Health, Global Market Access, Advanced Technologies, and Alternative Toxicity Testing. These sessions will explore the latest trends and future strategies in the biohealth industry.
This year’s conference places particular emphasis on global market access and investment trends as its two key pillars.
The global market access sessions will offer practical insights for Korean companies seeking to enter overseas markets, with a focus on global regulatory innovation, real-world case studies of international market entry, and strategies for developing Korean blockbuster drugs.
The investment sessions will feature global venture capital firms and investment experts, who will share the latest trends in the biohealth investment market, criteria for evaluating companies, and investment strategies tailored to each stage of clinical development. They will also explore promising technologies and collaboration opportunities from the perspective of global investors.
4. Open Sessions
Open sessions, available to those with a Visitor* pass or higher, will be held across five themes in Rooms 301 and 327 at COEX.
* Visitor: On-site registration fee of KRW 10,000 (approximately USD 7)
The open sessions are designed to cover key issues across the industry, including medical devices, biohealth big data, investment, and AI-driven biomanufacturing innovation, helping participants gain a broad understanding of policy, technology, and market trends.
In particular, the April session of the K-BIC Venture Cafe*, to be held on Tuesday, April 28, in Room 301, will be organized in collaboration with K-Bio CIC** under the theme “K-Bio CIC: The Heart of Global Biotech Innovation, Connecting the World.” The session will begin with a presentation by CHA Bio Group on its plan to build an innovation ecosystem for the global scale-up of K-bio startups, followed by a panel discussion with Novartis Korea and Boehringer Ingelheim Korea on key requirements for successful open innovation collaboration.
* K-BIC Venture Cafe: A monthly program held since August 2023 to foster regular exchange between Korean biohealth startups and commercialization experts. As of March 2026, 25 sessions have been held.
** K-Bio CIC: An open innovation center established by CHA Biotech, modeled after the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) in the United States. It provides shared laboratory infrastructure, access to global networks, clinical trial access, connections to GMP manufacturing, and assistance with global business development.
5. K-Biopharma Next Bridge
Key programs of K-Biopharma Next Bridge, launched this year to promote open innovation with leading global companies, will also be held in conjunction with BIO KOREA 2026, including pitching programs and award ceremonies.
The program brings together six global pharmaceutical companies—AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, MSD, Novo Nordisk, and Roche—to identify promising Korean biotech companies and explore opportunities for joint research and commercialization. Selected companies will receive a range of growth support, including R&D and commercialization consulting, prize money, residency support at an overseas acceleration center (Basel SIP), and connections to investment opportunities.
* April 27: MSD Partnering Day; April 27–28: AbbVie Biotech Innovator Award pitching program and awards ceremony; April 29: Amgen Bio Day and Pitching Day; April 30: four-party agreement signing ceremony involving KHIDI, Roche, Basel Area Business & Innovation, and the Korea Technology Finance Corporation.
Jeong Kyung-sil, Deputy Minister for Healthcare Policy at the MOHW, stated in her congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony, “BIO KOREA is a meaningful platform where global companies, promising Korean companies, research institutions, and investors come together to connect innovative technologies with business opportunities and create new pathways for cooperation. It also showcases Korea’s potential to emerge as a global biohealth hub.”
She added, “The government will provide active support to help Korea become one of the world’s top five leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry by strengthening the R&D ecosystem, advancing regulatory innovation, supporting global expansion, developing a skilled workforce, and promoting open innovation.”
In his opening remarks, KHIDI President Cha Soon-do stated, “In the biohealth industry, organic connections and collaboration among technology, industry, and global networks are more important than ever to ensure that innovative technologies and ideas can overcome capital and regulatory constraints and translate into investment, commercialization, and ultimately global expansion. KHIDI will continue to support BIO KOREA as it grows into a global business exchange platform that opens up the future of the biohealth industry.”
Detailed schedules and additional information about BIO KOREA are available on the BIO KOREA 2026 website (www.biokorea.org). Those who have not completed advance registration for the in-person event may attend by registering on-site at the COEX venue during the event.
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