GOYANG — KINTEX, South Korea's largest exhibition and convention center, is building a cycle that channels the gains of the K-beauty industry back into local communities. The operator says it wants to link the business results of trade shows to support for vulnerable groups and lift the social value of the MICE industry.
KINTEX said on the 16th that it signed a memorandum of understanding with We Start, a nonprofit child welfare organization, at the 2026 K-Beauty Expo Korea to run a social contribution campaign called "We Start BeautyFull."
Lee Jung-hoon, executive vice president for business at KINTEX, attended the signing ceremony along with senior officials from We Start. The two organizations agreed to build a shared giving model that brings together exhibitors and general visitors, and to cooperate on support for teenagers from low-income families in the region.
This year's expanded BeautyFull campaign runs through the 17th at a dedicated booth inside the exhibition hall. Exhibitors donate their own cosmetics and beauty products, while visitors make cash donations at the venue. The format is designed to let companies and consumers take part in giving through the setting of an industry trade show.
All of the cash donations collected from visitors will go toward producing kits of basic skincare items and essential household goods for teenagers in vulnerable households in the area. KINTEX and We Start plan to deliver the kits, along with the products donated by companies, to the teenagers after the expo closes.
"We hope the business results achieved by the K-Beauty Expo lead to meaningful outcomes that share warmth with the local community," Lee said. "We will continue to find and expand sustainable social contribution programs that exhibitors and visitors create together."