Gangwon Medical Device Exhibition Secures Record $40.55 Million in Export Contracts This Year

【Financial News Wonju=Kim Ki-seop】The 22nd Gangwon Medical Device Exhibition (GMES 2026) secured a record $40.55 million in export contracts, equivalent to approximately KRW 54.7 billion.
According to Gangwon State and Wonju Medical Industry Technovalley on the 10th, the export contract total far exceeded the initial target of KRW 36.3 billion. It surpassed the target on the first day of the event, demonstrating strong interest from the moment the exhibition opened. Major contracted products included skin-care and aesthetic devices, AI body-shape analyzers, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy equipment.
The achievement is attributed to various support programs conducted alongside the exhibition, including advance online export consultations and one-on-one matching between companies and buyers, which led to actual export contracts.
A large number of leading companies representing Gangwon State participated in the exhibition and attracted the attention of overseas buyers. Participants included Neo Biotech, a dental-device company; Bio-Protech, a maker of electrocardiogram sensors; MEDIANA, which produces patient-monitoring devices; and CU Medical Systems, a manufacturer of defibrillators. Promising companies also took part, including IVEX Medical Systems, a hyperbaric oxygen therapy equipment maker that recently received the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award, one of the most prestigious honors in technology development, and showcased their technological capabilities.

Programs designed to help companies respond to rapidly changing overseas regulations and trade conditions also received favorable reviews. At the medical device regulatory affairs (RA) forum, local experts in regulatory approval and clinical research from the United States, Europe, and Japan—key export markets—were invited to share information on regulatory systems and market-entry strategies with simultaneous interpretation. The Smart Medi-Home special exhibition, designed like a model home, allowed visitors to experience the everyday use of medical devices firsthand. On the weekend, a special discount event involving seven local companies also broadened participation among general visitors.
Meanwhile, GMES, which began in 2006 and marked its 22nd edition this year, is Gangwon’s largest medical industry exhibition. More than 100 overseas buyers from around 30 countries visit the event each year. Hosted by Gangwon State and Wonju-si, the exhibition was jointly organized by Wonju Medical Industry Technovalley, KOTRA’s Gangwon Regional Office, and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). It was held from the 3rd to the 4th at the permanent exhibition hall of the Wonju Medical Device Comprehensive Support Center. Export contracts rose steadily from $17.55 million in 2022 to $20.64 million in 2023, $24.69 million in 2024, and $36.14 million last year, reaching a record $40.55 million this year.
Gangwon State Governor Woo Sang-ho said, "Support that continued from advance consultations through on-site matching has produced the largest-ever results. We will spare no support to help GMES grow into a world-class medical device exhibition."
Wonju Medical Industry Technovalley head said, "This year’s GMES, held on the largest scale ever, demonstrated the exhibition’s status and its value as a business platform. We will actively respond to the AI transformation of medical device companies and support them through market development and follow-up management linked to domestic and international exhibitions, so that consultation results lead to actual contracts and exports."

[email protected] Kim Ki-seop Reporter