Yonhap News launches Y-Farm Expo, spotlighting AI-driven future of K-local agriculture

▲ This poster for “Y-Farm Expo” is provided by Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s leading newswire. This three-day convention is held April 24-26, 2026, at the Suwon Convention Center in Suwon, just south of Seoul, to support the returning farming population and revitalize the regional economy. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s leading newswire, on Friday opened the three-day “Y-Farm Expo” at the Suwon Convention Center in Suwon, just south of Seoul, to support the returning farming population and revitalize the regional economy. 

Co-hosted with the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, the event is held under the theme “Meeting the future of K-local in the AI era,” highlighting next-generation agricultural technologies such as artificial intelligence-based smart farming.

During the expo, government bodies, local authorities, public institutions and companies are showcasing advanced agricultural technologies, including smart farms, automated cultivation systems, Internet of Things solutions and big data-based precision farming, while also providing information on returning to farming and rural life.

Major institutions, including the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service, are also operating promotional booths.

Visitors can explore and purchase regional specialties and local brands at the “Y-Farm Mall,” while exhibition halls also offer information on rural education programs and schooling environments for children.

A variety of programs are scheduled, including academies on returning to farming, lectures on Gyeongnam-style rural workation programs and case studies of young farmers. A session themed on the AI-based farming assistant “Isakki” is also planned.

The opening ceremony, held at 11 a.m., was attended by Yonhap News President Hwang Dae-il, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Chairman Kang Ho-dong, EPIS President Yoon Dong-jin and Rural Development Administration Vice Administrator Kim Sang-kyung.

In his opening remarks, Hwang said agriculture is evolving beyond a primary industry into a key sector of the future, combining AI, big data and advanced ICT technologies.

He expressed hope that the expo would serve as a practical guide for those aspiring to AI-based smart farming and as a meaningful platform for sharing policies and technologies among local governments, institutions and companies.

Welcoming remarks by Kang were followed by congratulatory speeches from Kim Ho, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Policy, and Rep. Eo Gi-gu, head of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee.

The ceremony also included ministerial commendations for contributors to agricultural and rural development and the presentation of the “2026 Young Farmers Awards” to eight recipients.

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