The first-ever "World Korean Conference" will be held this year, bringing together various fields of overseas Koreans including global Korean community leaders, HanSang (global Korean businessmen), and next-generation compatriots.

According to the Overseas Koreans Agency, the World Korean Community Leaders Convention, the 24th World HanSang Convention, and the World Korean Next-Generation Convention will be held concurrently in line with World Korean Week, which runs from September 27 to October 1 in the Songdo area of Incheon.

The initiative aims to create an integrated networking platform encompassing the global Korean community by connecting overseas Korean networks that have previously operated separately by generation and field, such as community leaders, businesspeople, and the next generation. A notable feature of this year's schedule is that the individual events will not simply be held during the same period, but will expand participant touchpoints through joint and linked programs including a ▲unified opening ceremony, ▲World Koreans Day commemorative ceremony, ▲forums, ▲business consultations, and ▲policy recommendations.

380 Korean Community Leaders to Gather... World Korean Week Kicks Off on the 27th The opening schedule of World Korean Week will be led by the 2026 World Korean Community Leaders Convention.

The convention will be held at Songdo Convensia from September 27 to 30. Approximately 380 participants, including current overseas Korean community leaders and presidents and executives of continental Korean community federations, are expected to attend.

On the first day, the 27th, a general meeting, opening ceremony, and dinner are scheduled following the World Korean Community Leaders Convention steering committee meeting. The steering committee meeting will start at 3:00 PM that day, followed by the general meeting at 5:00 PM, and the opening ceremony and dinner at 6:00 PM.

During the convention period, continental future strategy conferences, presentations of best practices for Korean community associations, and discussions on regional issues will continue.

Korean community leaders will participate not only in their own programs but also in the World Korean Week integrated programs. Through this, going beyond the traditional function of sharing regional Korean community issues, opportunities will expand for community leaders to interact with compatriots from other fields such as HanSang and the next generation.

First World Korean Conference "Unified Opening Ceremony"... Government Officials and Compatriot Leaders Gather in One Place Starting from the 28th, the second day of the event, the integrated programs of World Korean Week will shift into full gear.

In the morning, a press briefing for World Korean Week is scheduled to be attended by Overseas Koreans Agency Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyeop and Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae. This will be followed by the opening of the World HanSang Convention corporate exhibition, the HanSang steering committee meeting, IR (Investor Relations) stage buyer events, and the Young Business Leaders Forum (YBLF).

In the afternoon, the World Korean Conference unified opening ceremony is scheduled following the World Koreans Day commemorative ceremony.

The unified opening ceremony is a venue that symbolically demonstrates the character of the first-ever World Korean Conference. It is prepared as a space where overseas Koreans who have been active in different spheres—such as community leaders, HanSang, and the next generation—gather in one place to share current issues and the future of the global Korean community.

HanSang Convention Features 460 Booths... Connecting Businesses and Buyers The 24th World HanSang Convention, the core economic event of World Korean Week, will be held from September 28 to 30 around Songdo Convensia.

It is co-hosted by the World HanSang Committee and the Overseas Koreans Agency, and jointly organized by Incheon Metropolitan City, Maekyung Media Group, and the Korea SMEs and Startups Distribution Agency.

The corporate exhibition will be set up with approximately 460 booths across exhibition halls 1 to 3 of Songdo Convensia, with about 300 domestic and international buyers expected to participate.

Showcasing K-food, K-beauty, daily supplies, home appliances, and innovative products, the event combines corporate exhibitions with one-on-one business consultations. The focus is on creating practical transaction opportunities by directly connecting domestic small and medium-sized enterprises with overseas Korean businesspeople and buyers.

The World HanSang Forum, the Young Business Leaders Forum (YBLF), global startup and venture capital (VC) related programs, and investment attraction briefing sessions will also continue.

In particular, on the 29th, HanSang-related programs will be held intensively, starting with a breakfast forum, followed by the Leading CEO General Meeting, the HanSang Advisory Committee, the YBLN (Young Business Leaders Network) Steering Committee, and the Global Startup and VC Forum.

In the afternoon of the same day, the opening ceremony of the World HanSang Convention and the World HanSang General Meeting will take place, followed by the Korean Festival and a dinner hosted by the Incheon Mayor in the evening.

60 Next-Generation Participants... Making Their Voices Heard Through Policy Recommendations Next-generation compatriots will also play a key role in the first World Korean Conference.

The 2026 World Korean Next-Generation Convention will be held in the Songdo area of Incheon from September 28 to October 1. Around 60 next-generation compatriots active around the world are expected to participate.

The participants are next-generation compatriots active in various fields such as politics, economy, law, journalism, culture, and the arts, who will share regional issues and discuss measures to expand the next-generation network.

In particular, this convention will feature a policy recommendation program where next-generation participants directly present their own opinions.

On the 30th, policy recommendation discussions, comprehensive debates, and presentations will be held. In the afternoon, conversations with key figures and a tour of the National Assembly are scheduled.

The next-generation convention will wrap up its schedule with the closing ceremony on October 1.

Connecting Separately Operating Compatriot Networks... The First Test for the Convention The biggest change in this event is the initial operation of an integrated framework called the World Korean Conference.

Hitherto, Korean community leaders centered around regional compatriot communities, HanSang centered around global economic networks, and the next generation centered around the human infrastructure of future compatriot communities have each formed their respective networks.

This year, they are being brought together into the same period and space, linking programs so that they can interact with each other. ▲On the 28th, HanSang corporate exhibitions, one-on-one business meetings, Korean community leaders convention programs, and next-generation events will run simultaneously, followed by the World Koreans Day commemorative ceremony and the World Korean Conference unified opening ceremony. ▲On the 29th, HanSang-related general meetings and forums, alongside next-generation programs, will take place, culminating in the Korean Festival in the evening. ▲On the 30th, while HanSang corporate exhibitions and one-on-one consultations continue, policy recommendations and comprehensive debates by next-generation participants will follow.

The success or failure of the first World Korean Conference depends not just on gathering various compatriot events in the same location, but on how practically it connects disparate networks such as community leaders, HanSang, and the next generation.

The viewing point of the first convention will be whether it can establish itself as a platform that unites overseas Korean networks—formed by region, generation, and function—into one, and connects the voices arising from them to overseas Korean policies and economic and social cooperation.

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