CHUNGCHEONGBUK-DO < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(Cheongju = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Chang-hae – The '2026 Osong Cosmetics & Beauty Expo,' an event providing a comprehensive look at the present and future of K-Beauty, will be held for three days starting October 22—about three months away—at Cheongju OSCO (Mansu-ri, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si).

Co-hosted by Chungcheongbuk-do Province and Cheongju City, and organized by the Osong Bio Promotion Foundation, the expo is an industry-focused B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) integrated event encompassing corporate exhibitions, export consultations, conferences, and beauty experience programs.

Under this year's theme, "K-Beauty Osong, Growing with the World," the expo is raising expectations as an enterprise growth-support platform by strengthening export consultation and investment attraction functions.

According to Chungcheongbuk-do, 226 companies (309 booths) have applied to participate as of today—90 days ahead of the opening—achieving 94% of the overall target. Compared to last year's event, participating companies have already increased by 20% and booths by 15%.

In particular, the expo is driving corporate participation by expanding joint pavilions in linkage with institutions, universities, and public organizations—including Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR), Chungbuk Bio-Academia-Research Convergence Center, Chungbuk Technopark, Cheongju University, Seowon University, and Small Enterprise and Market Service. Currently, 35 companies have been confirmed as official sponsors.

The most notable feature of this year's expo is the introduction of a growth program for early-stage companies. Among cosmetics and beauty startups within seven years of establishment, ten outstanding enterprises based on business viability, marketability, growth potential, and technological capability will be selected to participate in IR pitching sessions at the venue to validate their business models and growth potential. Based on the uation, top-performing enterprises will be awarded, while investor networking and distribution/sales channel consultations will run concurrently to help bridge them with real investment business opportunities.

The exhibition layout is also being reorganized around business needs. Moving away from a visitor-centered arrangement, the export consultation hall will be positioned in the center of the exhibition floor, establishing an organic B2B flow connecting corporate booths, export consultations, and academic seminars.

The invited buyer pool has been optimized to 200 participants (170 overseas and 30 domestic buyers). Coupled with 300 on-site buyers, the event aims to generate new business opportunities. For this year, the organizers have set a consultation target of 1,200 meetings totaling KRW 260 billion in value. The organizers explained that matching efficacy will be enhanced by focusing on high-intent buyers with higher deal-closing likelihood rather than simply expanding headcounts.

In addition, an Expo Preview Zone will operate from next month through October at the C-Square Travel Lounge in Seongan-gil, Cheongju, to attract visitors, while advance registration is available via the official website (osongbeautyexpo.kr) and Instagram (@osong_beauty).

Kim Wang-il, Head of the High-Tech Bio Division at Chungcheongbuk-do, stated, "Leveraging the business infrastructure accumulated over time, we are expanding our function into a growth platform that supports corporate investment and sales channel development." He added, "We will do our utmost during the remaining preparation period to make this South Korea's premier export-focused specialized expo."

jeonch@yna.co.kr



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Source Text

Source: Yonhap News (July 23, 2026)

** This article was translated from Korean.