Korea to display high-tech products at ADEX 2013 in Seoul

The Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2013 starts Tuesday at Kintex in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, and will last until Sunday.

The air show and aircraft exhibition, a prior event, had taken place from last Friday to Sunday at Cheongju International Airport. At Centex, exhibition of interior and exterior weapons and military equipments, companies` trade meetings and symposium will be held. The exhibition is a government-wide event with Prime Minister Jung Hong-won as honorary chairman, and Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jik and Land and Transportation Minister Suh Seung-hwan as joint honorary vice chairman. The event has been held biannually since 1996.

The 2011 exhibition was joined by 314 companies in 31 countries and 270,000 visitors. This year, a record 360 aerospace and defense companies will participate to display their current and future of high-tech aerospace technologies. Private and military warplanes, high-tech weapons for land and sea, space projectiles and satellites will be exhibited. Korea Aerospace Research Institute will display five high-tech pilotless planes made with Korean technology. Among the new-concept pilotless planes are UFOs and "cyclopter," a plane that is soccer ball shaped, has high mobility, and makes little noise. These pilotless planes will be used in various sectors including in disaster area in order to prevention of crime and monitor of facilities.

The joint operation headquarters of the Seoul ADEX 2013 expects the event to meet both defense diplomacy and business purposes. The "Business Day" event that will last from Tuesday to Saturday will be joined by over 90 high-ranking officials from 70 countries, including defense ministers, chiefs of staff of the Navy, Army and Air Force, and heads of defense acquisition agencies. They will promote active defense diplomacy. A source from the joint operation headquarters said, "Korean military officials will join the chief of staff meeting and guide military officials at foreign countries to Korean military camps to introduce the quality of Korean weapons and military equipment.

Experts say Korea should aggressively foster aerospace and defense industries to enter the rank of advanced countries with per capita income of over 30,000 U.S. dollars. The aerospace and defense industries create not only jobs but also high value-added industry that enables the spread of ripple effects and inter-industry convergence.

The Park Geun-hye administration designated aerospace and defense industries as Korea`s new growth engines along with shipbuilding, automobile and semiconductor industries. A source at Korea Aerospace Industries Association, which hosted the exhibition, said, "This event will help expand exports of Korea`s aerospace and defense products, thus maximizing national interest."

The association expects the event to serve as an effective government support for fostering Korea`s aerospace and defense industries. The government in 2012 announced basic plan for aerospace industry promotion with an aim to become "top global seven" aerospace country. According to the plan, until 2020, the government will achieve 20 billion dollars in aerospace industry production and 10 billion dollars in exports, foster 300 aerospace companies and create 70,000 high quality jobs. However, many say the government`s follow-up measures have been weak.

A source at the aerospace industry said, "It is urgent to make financial support, increase R&D budget, foster manpower and promote exhibition marketing. The aerospace industry has not only commercial but also public concern, demanding the government`s special interest and fostering strategies."