Korea's agrifood calendar has two busy windows: the trade shows in June and July, and the startup and investor season in November and December. The table below lists what is on from late 2026 through 2027, followed by my pick for a single trip and the dates to keep clear.
| When | Event | Where | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2026 → November 7, 2026 | Food Week Korea 2026 | COEX, Seoul | Big B2B2C food show with a "Food Technology & AI" zone and 1:1 meetings with overseas buyers |
| November 4, 2026 | FOODPOLIS International Conference & Senior Food Industry Symposium | COEX South Conference Rooms, 3F, Seoul | Conference on Korea's national food cluster (Iksan) and senior-friendly food |
| November 4, 2026 → November 7, 2026 | KIEMSTA 2026 | EXCO, Daegu | Farm machinery, robotics and smart-farm hardware |
| November 4, 2026 → November 6, 2026 | Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo 2026 (BISFE) | BEXCO, Busan | Seafood and blue-food buyers |
| November 11, 2026 → November 14, 2026 | Cafe Show Seoul 2026 | COEX, Seoul | Coffee and beverage ingredients, equipment, café operations and foodservice |
| December 9, 2026 → December 11, 2026 | COMEUP 2026 | COEX, Seoul | Korea's national startup festival; 3,447 investor and business matchings in 2025. Not food-specific, but the year's highest density of investors. |
| Dec 2026 (to be confirmed) | World FoodTech Summit | Seoul | Run by the World FoodTech Council |
| June 8, 2027 → June 11, 2027 | Seoul Food 2027 with FoodTech Pavilion (pavilion programme to be reconfirmed) | KINTEX, Goyang | Korea's largest food trade show; trade visitors only. Dates listed on the official Seoul Food & Hotel visitor page; check the 2027 pavilion programme separately. |
| Jun 2027 (to be confirmed) | World FoodTech ConfEx | KINTEX (2026 venue) | Around 100 sessions, held alongside Seoul Food in 2026 |
| Jun 2027 (to be confirmed) | NextRise | COEX (2026 venue) | Corporate open-innovation fair; 3,700+ 1:1 meetings in 2025 |
| July 21, 2027 → July 23, 2027 | AFPRO (Agri & Food Tech Start-up Rising Expo) | COEX Hall D, Seoul | The most relevant event for agrifood founders and investors: around 200 agri-food startups, investment consultations, IR sessions and demo days |
| Sep 2027 (to be confirmed) | Try Everything | DDP, Seoul | Seoul city's startup festival; around 40 foreign investors attended in 2026 |
| Nov–Dec 2027 (to be confirmed) | Food Week Korea, COMEUP | COEX, Seoul | As above |
<aside> 📌
Two anchor weeks for 2027
Watch the names: "Seoul Food" (KINTEX, June, trade visitors only) and "Food Week Korea" (COEX, November) are different shows. Confusingly, both translate as "Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition".
| Dates | Why |
|---|---|
| 5–10 Feb | Seollal (Lunar New Year, 6–9 Feb). Offices shut and trains are full. |
| 1 & 3 May | Labor Day, a public holiday since 2026, plus a substitute day |
| 5 May, 13 May | Children's Day, Buddha's Birthday |
| 19 Jul (Mon) | Substitute holiday for Constitution Day, which became a public holiday again in 2026. Two days before AFPRO, so start meetings on Tuesday. |
| 13–17 Sep | Chuseok (14–16 Sep) plus the bridge days people take off |
| 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 27 Dec | Substitute holidays |
| Late Nov–Dec | Many large groups reshuffle executives, so corporate decisions often wait until the new year (to be confirmed) |
Dates and venues for Food Week Korea, the FOODPOLIS conference, KIEMSTA, BISFE, Cafe Show Seoul and COMEUP 2026, plus Seoul Food and AFPRO 2027, were rechecked on October 15, 2026. Other provisional entries and the holiday table retain their earlier research basis. Check the organiser's site for registration, admission rules, language arrangements and programme changes before booking flights.