Busan Seafood Expo 2026 (BISFE): How to Meet Korean Buyers

Data as of October 14, 2026, from the official BISFE website. Check it again before you travel.

The Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo (BISFE) 2026 runs November 4–6 at BEXCO Exhibition Center 1 in Busan, according to the organizer. Exhibitor applications closed on September 30, so most foreign sellers will attend as visitors. Entry is free with online registration by October 30. Meetings with Korean importers are not arranged for visitors: book them before you fly.

Key takeaways

• BISFE 2026 is scheduled for November 4–6, 2026 at BEXCO Exhibition Center 1 in Busan, with 500 exhibitors from 30 countries planned, according to the BISFE organizer.
• Visitor admission to BISFE 2026 costs KRW 5,000 on site and is free for visitors who register online by October 30, 2026, according to the BISFE website.
• At BISFE 2025, 8,765 of the 15,543 visitors were Korean visitors registered as buyers, according to the organizer’s official results report.
• BISFE’s 2025 matchmaking programs paired invited overseas buyers with Korean companies, or Korean buyers with exhibitors. A foreign seller without a booth has to arrange their own meetings.

When and where is the Busan Seafood Expo 2026?

BISFE 2026 opens on Wednesday, November 4 and closes at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 6, at BEXCO in Busan’s Haeundae district.

Source: BISFE official website, overview and visitor pages, checked October 14, 2026.

Register through the English pre-registration form. If you are there to sell, Visitor is the accurate category. Use the earlier deadline, October 30.

Can a foreign seller still exhibit at BISFE 2026?

Not through the organizer. The exhibitor application deadline was September 30, 2026.

The remaining route to a table on the floor is your country’s pavilion. At BISFE 2025, trade agencies such as VASEP (Vietnam), MPEDA (India), PROMPERU (Peru), PRO ECUADOR, the Indonesia Trade Promotion Center and the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office ran booths for their exporters. Their 2026 plans are not published yet. If your agency is coming, ask if you can hold meetings at its pavilion.

Which BISFE business meetings are open to you?

BISFE’s formal matchmaking is not built for a foreign seller who visits without a booth. The 2026 overview lists overseas buyer meetings, domestic retail MD meetings and global business meetings. The detailed 2026 schedule was not online as of October 14, 2026, so the 2025 results are the best guide to who each program serves.

Source: BISFE 2025 results report, checked October 14, 2026.

The Global Business Meetings are the closest match to what a foreign seller wants. For 2026, you can ask the organizer (bisfe@bexco.co.kr) whether any slots are open to overseas visitors. Plan as if the answer is no.

Who will you meet on the show floor?

Korean buyers come to BISFE, but most Korean booths are selling, not buying. The 2025 show recorded 15,543 visitors: 8,765 Korean visitors registered as buyers, 5,890 general Korean visitors and 888 visitors from overseas.

Of the 480 exhibitors in 2025, 323 were Korean, and 248 of those were in the seafood food section. Many are regional governments, cooperatives and processors promoting Korean products, which compete with yours. The 2026 layout adds a distribution and platform pavilion, worth a look once the floor plan is out. Busan Regional Customs and the Busan office of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) also had booths in 2025.

A visitor badge tells you nothing about how a company buys. LINKSUP estimates that 85–90% of Korea’s seafood imports are indirect, through import agents. LINKSUP also estimates that only about 15% of Korean seafood importers import directly. Both are industry estimates, not official statistics. The person in front of you may be a reseller, an agent or an agent’s customer. How Korea’s seafood importers are structured explains the types and which to approach first.

How do you find Korean importers before the show?

Start from Korea’s import records. Companies that already import your product, from your origin or a competing one, are worth the trip.

1. Fix your product code. Find the 10-digit Korean HS code (HSK) for your product, and the trade names Korean buyers use for it (how Korean buyers describe seafood).
2. Check the market for that code. See how much Korea imports, from which origins and at what customs value per kg: for example Korea’s frozen peeled shrimp imports (free sign-up) or Korea’s fresh Atlantic salmon imports (free sign-up).
3. List the importers. SEACHING, a Korea seafood trade data platform operated by LINKSUP, Inc. in Busan, estimates which companies import each product code and from which origins, using customs and MFDS import declaration data. Company figures are estimates. How to find seafood buyers in Korea using import data walks through the screens.
4. Write a specific meeting request. The U.S. Commercial Service notes that cold calls are generally not well received in Korea. Name the show, your product code, your origin and a few time slots. Why Korean seafood buyers ignore cold emails covers the first message.

USDA’s Seoul office reports that Korean importers highly value face-to-face meetings when they build new partnerships, and that trade shows are one of the most effective ways to meet them.

Your pre-show timeline

Deadlines and hall hours are from the BISFE website. Other dates are suggestions.

What should you bring to a meeting with a Korean importer?

Bring a clear price and proof that your plant can supply Korea. What Korean importers check before a first order explains what they look at and in what order.

Checklist

• Spec sheet per product: species (common and scientific name), state, cut, size grades, glaze, packing and the 10-digit HS code.
• Price basis: Incoterm (FOB, CFR or CIF Busan), currency, minimum order and how long the price holds.
• Your price compared with Korean customs import prices for the same product. You can check your offer against Korean customs prices (free sign-up).
• Copies of certificates (HACCP, FSSC 22000, BRC, MSC or ASC, as you hold them) and your plant’s MFDS foreign food facility registration code.
• A past health certificate from your competent authority (private details removed), product photos and recent lab results.
• Bilingual business cards in Korean and English.
• A one-page schedule of confirmed meetings with names, times and mobile numbers.

Do not assume you can carry frozen or live samples in your luggage. Food imported into Korea for sale goes through MFDS import declaration and inspection, and samples may have their own rules, so ask your freight forwarder or Korean customs first. For the documents your first shipment will need, see how to export seafood to Korea step by step.

How do meetings at the show usually work?

Expect a short first meeting about product fit and price, not a purchase order. The U.S. Commercial Service guide notes that Koreans exchange business cards with two hands and often treat written contracts as a flexible framework.

• Your badge works as a business card. BISFE’s registration terms say exhibitors use an electronic business card system: tap your badge on an exhibitor’s terminal and your registration details go to that exhibitor. Tap only where you want follow-up.
• Put important meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday closes at 15:00.
• Ask about volume and timing early. Lead times, MOQs and container loads sets out what to expect.

What if you miss BISFE 2026?

Exhibit in 2027 to qualify for the meetings the show arranges for exhibitors. The 2027 dates and fees are not published yet. For reference, 2026 booth fees were KRW 1.5 million (space only), KRW 2.0 million (shell scheme) and KRW 2.5 million (premium) per booth, excluding VAT. Korea’s other seafood show is the Korea Seafood Show in Seoul, held at COEX on May 19–21, 2026, according to USDA. Its 2027 dates were not confirmed at the time of writing.

Find importers of your product before you fly to Busan

SEACHING estimates which Korean companies import a given product and from where, based on Korea Customs Service and MFDS import declaration data. Company-level figures are statistical estimates, not confirmed contracts. Find importers of your product (free sign-up)

FAQ

Is BISFE 2026 open to the public or only to trade visitors?

BISFE 2026 admits anyone aged 18 or older, and its registration form has two categories, Buyer and Visitor, according to the BISFE website (checked October 14, 2026). The 2025 show recorded 5,890 general Korean visitors alongside 8,765 registered Korean buyers.

Where can I find the BISFE 2026 exhibitor list?

As of October 14, 2026, the BISFE website showed the 2025 floor plan and exhibitor list, not the 2026 one. The 2025 list shows which national pavilions and Korean companies took part. Check the visitor section again in late October.

Sources and method

• BISFE official website, checked October 14, 2026: exhibition overview, exhibitor application guide, visitor registration (English), pre-registration form, 2025 results, 2025 exhibitor list, venue access
• Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries press release on BISFE 2025 trade meetings, November 4, 2025
• USDA FAS GAIN, Exporter Guide Annual, Korea (KS2025-0023, August 5, 2025), and Korea Seafood Market Update 2025 (KS2025-0046, November 25, 2025)
• U.S. Commercial Service, Country Commercial Guide: South Korea, Business Travel, June 29, 2026
• LINKSUP estimates (indirect import share, direct importer share): written answers from LINKSUP, October 13, 2026. Industry estimates, not official statistics.
• The 2025 results page gives two different domestic visitor totals. This article uses the category breakdown, which sums to the reported total of 15,543.