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Seoul Meta Week 2026 takes place on July 3-4 at the COEX Grand Ballroom in Seoul, running its flagship METACON conference alongside the AI Marketing Summit across two days of programming on AI, metaverse infrastructure and blockchain. The event, running annually since 2021, has previously hosted teams from The Sandbox, Tencent, LG U+, LINE NEXT and NEXON KOREA. This edition arrives five months after South Korea’s AI Framework Act took effect, making the country only the second in the world after the European Union to operate under comprehensive AI legislation. Finonity is an official media partner.
Why the Timing Matters
South Korea’s AI Framework Act came into force on January 22, 2026, establishing a risk-based regulatory framework for high-impact AI systems in healthcare, energy and public services. It is the second comprehensive AI law globally after the EU AI Act, and the first in the Asia-Pacific region. The legislation introduces mandatory labeling requirements for generative AI applications and sets compliance obligations for systems classified as high-impact, while simultaneously channeling public funding into AI data centres, training data access and support for startups and SMEs.
Seoul Meta Week 2026 lands at a moment when the enforcement decrees that will define how this law operates in practice are still being shaped by the Ministry of Science and ICT. For companies building AI products in or for the Korean market, the regulatory interpretation that emerges over the next two quarters will determine product roadmaps and market entry strategies. That makes COEX in early July one of the more relevant rooms to be in.
Korea’s AI and Web3 Convergence
South Korea is not approaching AI regulation and digital innovation as separate tracks. The country has outlined plans for what industry analysts estimate at $70 billion in AI investment, while simultaneously working through the legislative process on its Digital Asset Basic Act, which covers stablecoin issuance and is currently moving through the National Assembly. In March 2026, Hong Kong and South Korean legislators launched the HK-Korea Web3 Policy Promotion Alliance, the first non-governmental cross-border platform focused on coordinating AI and stablecoin regulation between two major Asian financial centres.
That convergence between AI governance and digital asset infrastructure is exactly what Seoul Meta Week’s programming reflects. The METACON track has evolved from its original metaverse focus in 2021 toward a broader examination of how AI, blockchain and tokenized systems interact at the enterprise level. The parallel AI Marketing Summit addresses the commercial side of that intersection, covering AI-driven customer acquisition, data strategy and marketing automation.
For anyone tracking how Korean equities and digital assets interact, the backdrop is instructive. Earlier this year the KOSPI hit 8,000 and then crashed 6% in the same session, highlighting the volatility and speculative energy running through Korean capital markets. That same energy drives one of the world’s highest rates of retail crypto adoption, creating a unique environment where institutional AI policy and retail digital asset participation are developing in parallel.
What to Expect at COEX
The programme runs across two days at the COEX Grand Ballroom with the METACON conference on both days and the AI Marketing Summit running in parallel. Based on previous editions and the 2026 programme structure, attendees can expect keynote presentations from industry leaders and policymakers, expert panel discussions on AI regulation, startup pitching sessions, and exhibition space featuring domestic and international technology companies.
Previous editions have drawn teams from major Korean technology companies including LG U+, LINE NEXT and NEXON KOREA, alongside global Web3 platforms like The Sandbox and Tencent. The 2026 edition continues that pattern of mixing Korean domestic enterprise players with international AI ecosystem participants. With around 100 exhibitors and over 20 confirmed speakers, the event sits in the mid-size range that tends to produce higher-quality networking than larger expos.
Practical Details
Seoul Meta Week 2026 takes place on July 3-4 at the COEX Grand Ballroom, Seoul, South Korea. The event is organized by Chris & Partners Co., Ltd. Full programme details, speaker announcements and tickets are available at seoulmetaweek.com.
Follow Seoul Meta Week on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. For a full list of Finonity’s current conference and institutional collaborations, visit our media partnerships page. Finonity will cover the event across all 11 language editions.
