[Edaily Reporter Oh Hee-na ] Cho Sang-hyun (pictured), CEO of COEX, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Korea Exhibition Industry Promotion Association. Drawing on 35 years of experience in trade and commerce, he is expected to take the competitiveness of the domestic exhibition industry to the next level.

The

announced on the 20th that it held a board of directors meeting and an extraordinary general meeting at SETEC in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 19th, and appointed Cho Sang-hyun, CEO of COEX, as its 20th chairman. The new chairman’s two-year term begins on the 1st of next month.
Born in 1967, the newly appointed Chairman Cho is a trade and commerce expert who, over the past 35 years, has supported corporate growth and entry into overseas markets in the fields of trade and industry, while connecting industries with new business opportunities. Since joining the Korea International Trade Association in 1990, he has worked in various fields, including startup support, trade workforce development, and research on international trade and commerce. In 2022, he served as president of the International Trade and Commerce Research Institute, where he analyzed the rapidly changing global economy and trade environment and proposed strategies for domestic industries and companies to respond. He has served as CEO and President of COEX since 2025.
The industry regards the newly appointed Chairman Cho as a “hands-on leader” who combines strong drive with strategic insight. This is because, during his tenure at KOTRA, he demonstrated outstanding results as a leader closely attuned to the field—stabilizing overseas support programs for startups and proactively addressing global trade issues. In particular, he is expected to be the ideal candidate to elevate the competitiveness of the domestic exhibition industry to the next level through his long-established trade and industry networks and his management experience at COEX.
In his inaugural address, Chairman Cho stated, “I will prioritize responding to changes in exhibition industry infrastructure, promoting balanced regional development of the exhibition industry, advancing AI and digital transformation, and supporting member companies.” He added, “I will actively communicate with member companies and strengthen cooperation with the government and relevant agencies to ensure that the voices from the field are faithfully reflected in policy.”
Established in 2002 to foster the exhibition industry, the Association carries out various initiatives to strengthen the industry’s competitiveness, including supporting the hosting of domestic exhibitions, building the industry’s infrastructure, training specialized personnel, promoting international cooperation, and certifying exhibitions.