INCHEON, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 17, 2025--
The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Authority will take part in CES, the world's largest information technology exhibition, for the third consecutive year to present Incheon’s AI City vision on the global stage.
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The IFEZ Authority announced that it will operate the “ Incheon–IFEZ Booth ” at CES 2026, to be held in Las Vegas from January 6 to 9, 2026, under the theme “Destination Incheon—From Smart City to AI City: The Next Evolution of Urban Life.”
CES is held every January in Las Vegas and is widely recognized as a platform for innovation where the latest technology trends and global businesses come together. The IFEZ Authority will set up its booth in the AI Zone of the North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The CES 2026 Incheon–IFEZ Booth will consist of three zones: the AI Smart Living Zone, featuring technologies that enhance services for city residents, including mobility, safety, energy, and healthcare; the AI Innovation Hub Zone, showcasing AI solutions that transform industrial sectors including manufacturing, logistics, food, and pharmaceuticals; and the AI Creative City Zone, highlighting AI-driven content and experiential innovations.
On January 6, the Incheon–IFEZ Booth will officially open with an inauguration ceremony. This will be followed by a series of programs on the main stage, including the Global AI City Session, which brings together global urban and industry experts to discuss practical pathways for collaboration in support of Incheon’s transition from a smart city to an AI city.
On the second day, CES 2026 Incheon Night will be held, providing a networking platform where participating Incheon-based companies and overseas firms get together to explore practical cooperation. The event will bring together investors, buyers, and global partners for partnership discussions, along with a series of demo showcases.
On January 8, a dedicated Business Day will be organized for 15 participating companies as part of a visiting delegation, supporting their global expansion through one-on-one matchmaking and on-site meetings with buyers, venture capital firms, and accelerators.
IFEZ will present technologies from 10 innovative local companies and support the participation of a total of 51 companies at CES, including 10 in the Eureka Park, 6 in the Global Pavilion, 15 companies of the Incheon Startup Park delegation, and 10 taking part in the Innovation Awards Showcase. In particular, IFEZ will intensify its support by moving beyond exhibition participation to connect companies with investors and global partners through meetings, product demonstrations, and on-site networking—driving tangible results for global market expansion.
The IFEZ Authority has systematically prepared startups for substantive participation in CES by operating a comprehensive set of programs, including pre-event business matchmaking, global media meetups, training for global exhibition participation, and support for CES Innovation Awards applications. As a result, 14 companies secured a total of 17 CES Innovation Awards, the highest number ever achieved. Building on this record-breaking performance, IFEZ plans to expand support this year by operating a dedicated CES Innovation Awards Showcase for award-winning companies, further enhancing their global visibility and accelerating follow-up business opportunities.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon stated, “CES 2026 represents a critical opportunity to elevate the global capabilities of both Incheon and its companies to the next level.” He added, “Under the theme ‘Destination Incheon,’ we will share IFEZ’s AI City strategy with the world and make every effort to establish Incheon not merely as a city people pass through, but as a destination the world moves toward—and as a leading global innovation city in the age of AI.”
Detailed information on participating companies and programs can be found on the official CES 2026 INCHEON–IFEZ website ( https://www.ces-ifez.com/ ).
Poster for CES 2026 INCHEON-IFEZ (Image: IFEZ)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African immigration authorities raided a United States refugee processing center in Johannesburg and seven Kenyans working there illegally were arrested and given deportation orders, South Africa's Home Affairs Ministry said Wednesday, as the U.S. called the action “unacceptable.”
Tuesday's raid occurred at a center that processes applications by white South Africans who have been given priority for refugee status in the U.S. by the Trump administration. It was bound to increase tensions between the countries, whose relations have cooled dramatically since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The Trump administration's claim that members of South Africa's Afrikaner white minority group are being persecuted by the Black-led government has been widely rejected, but it has been central to the deterioration of ties between the U.S. and Africa's most advanced economy.
The Home Affairs Ministry said the Kenyans were in the country on tourist visas which did not allow them to work, adding that U.S. officials' work with them at the refugee processing center “raises serious questions about intent and diplomatic protocol.”
It was not immediately clear whether the U.S. had known about the Kenyans’ status.
The ministry said no U.S. officials were arrested in the raid and that the site was not a diplomatic one. It said South Africa's Foreign Ministry has started “formal diplomatic engagements with both the United States and Kenya to resolve this matter.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said “interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable,” adding that they were seeking “immediate clarification from the South African government and expect full cooperation and accountability.”
The U.S. Embassy in a statement last month said the U.S. government had contracted a Kenya-based company, RSC Africa, to process refugee applications by white South Africans. RSC Africa is operated by Church World Service, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that offers refugee assistance and works with the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
The Home Affairs Ministry said the Kenyans were working at the U.S. refugee processing site “despite the fact that earlier visa applications for Kenyan nationals to perform this work had been lawfully declined.” The seven Kenyans were given deportation orders and banned from entering South Africa for a five-year period.
Trump has singled out South Africa for criticism on a range of issues, claiming without evidence that Afrikaners are being killed and having their land seized and that South Africa is pursuing an anti-U.S. foreign policy through its diplomatic relations with Palestinian authorities and Iran.
The U.S. boycotted last month's Group of 20 world leaders summit in South Africa, and Trump said it will exclude South Africa from the group when it hosts the annual summit next year. Trump also issued an executive order in February that said the U.S. would stop aid and assistance to South Africa over what it called its “egregious actions.”
South Africa's government has said the U.S. claims over the persecution of Afrikaners are based on misinformation and that white South Africans don't meet the criteria for refugee status because there is no persecution, although it said it wouldn't stop anyone applying. Afrikaners are white South Africans descended from mainly Dutch and French colonial settlers who first came to the country in the 17th century.
The Trump administration announced in October it was dramatically cutting the annual quota for refugees allowed in the U.S. to 7,500 from a previous limit of 125,000 and white South Africans would be given most of the places. A first group of white South African refugees had already arrived in the U.S. under the new program for them in May. It's not clear how many have been relocated since then.
Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
FILE - Refugees from South Africa arrive, Monday, May 12, 2025, at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
FILE - Refugees from South Africa, arrive Monday, May 12, 2025, at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
