Daegu Metropolitan City held the opening ceremony of the 2025 Future Innovation Tech Expo (FIX 2025) on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at EXCO under the theme “The Future Has Already Begun, All on AI.”
The ceremony gathered more than 130 distinguished guests from Korea and abroad, including Acting Mayor Jeong-gi Kim of Daegu, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hee Up Kang, Director-General for Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Seung-ryeol Lee, Daegu City Council Chairman Mangyu Lee, and National Assembly Member In-seon Lee, who also serves as Chair of the People Power Party’s Daegu Chapter.
Global business leaders, including Brian McMurray, President of GMTCK, Jean-Pierre Hathout, CEO of Universal Robots, Yoon Ki Kim, CEO of HL Robotics, Seung-mo Kim, CEO of Hanwha E&C, Sheal Eum, CEO of AeiROBOT, and Tim Hwang, founder of FiscalNote, also attended the event.
Cutting-Edge Technology on Display
Following the ceremony, participants joined a guided line tour across EXCO’s East and West Halls, offering opportunities to experience cutting-edge innovations from around the world. Exhibits included T-Money’s “Tagless Payment System,” Hyundai Motor’s lineup of next-generation hydrogen and electric vehicles, HL Robotics’ autonomous parking robots, the AI Mobility Innovation Hall, the special UAM (Urban Air Mobility) Pavilion, AeiROBOT representing Korea’s humanoid robotics excellence, and Unitree’s first-ever demonstration of humanoid boxing.
Visionaries and Industry Leaders Take the Stage
In the afternoon, Wang Tan, Vice President of XPeng AeroHT, a global leader in the UAM sector, delivered a keynote speech titled “Pioneering the Future with 3D Mobility.” The session was followed by talks from Seyoung (Noah) Lee, CEO of wrtn technologies—the top domestic provider of generative AI service platforms; Jean-Pierre Hathout, CEO of Universal Robots; Seungmin Baek, Head of LG Electronics’ Advanced Robotics Lab; Professor Jaekweon Han, a leading authority in Korean humanoid robotics; and Professor Gautam Kamath from the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, co-founded by deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton.
Immersive Experiences for Visitors
Visitors to the exhibition enjoyed a variety of engaging experiences, including riding the XPeng UAM’s “X2,” watching Unitree’s humanoid boxing performance, and viewing Top Robotics’ demonstration of a humanoid soccer robot.
At the East Hall lobby, where the mobility zone was located, a special classic car exhibition showcased iconic models, including the Ford Model T—the world’s first mass-produced car on a conveyor belt—and the Porsche 356, once driven by actor James Dean. Test drives for electric vehicles from BYD, Hyundai, and MOTREX were also available.
A Platform for Regional Innovation
FIX 2025 will be open to the public from October 22 (Wednesday) to 25 (Saturday), from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closing at 5 p.m. on Saturday). To ensure convenient access for out-of-town visitors, shuttle buses will operate every 15 minutes between Dongdaegu Station and EXCO.
In his opening remarks, Acting Mayor Jeong-gi Kim stated, “FIX 2025 is more than just an exhibition—it is a platform to share Daegu’s vision for industrial innovation, built upon the city’s ongoing efforts to restructure its industrial landscape. We will continue working closely with industry, academia, and research sectors to successfully drive a regional AX transformation centered on future mobility and robotics.”
