- Opens for 4 days starting on October 18 (Tues) at KINTEX Exhibition Hall 1 in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do
- Reveals latest ICT convergence technology with the theme of ‘Creating the Future with Digital Innovation Technology!’
- Will have ‘Live Streaming in Korea and Overseas’ over the duration of the exhibition

Hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (Minister Chang-yang Lee) and overseen by the Korea Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Industry Association (President Sung-hee Kang), the 16^th Heating, Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration and Fluid Exhibition-KOREA 2022 (HARFKO 2022), the biggest festival for heating and air conditioning, will be held in KINTEX Exhibition Hall 1 in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do between October 18^th (Wed) to the 21^st (Fri).

Numerous VIP from Korean and overseas industry, academia, research institutes, and governments were in attendance for the tape cutting at the opening ceremony held in Exhibition Hall 1 of KINTEX, kicked off the successful start of HARFKO 2022. Following the opening ceremony, there was a ‘HVAC&R Industry Development Merit Award’ to boost the morale of the people in the HVAC&R industry in the grand ballroom of KINTEX.

Having its 16^th iteration this year, HARFKO was supposed to open in 2021, but unfortunately had to hold off until the next year due to COVID-19. Opening for the first time in 3 years due to the effects of COVID-19, the exhibition is expected to play the important role of a place where people can come see the rapidly changing environment of the HVAC&R industry and a place to pre-emptively prepare for the post-COVID era. The simultaneous opening of other related fairs like ‘Tool Tech+Smart Welding Automation Fair’ and ‘Digital Transformation Fair’ are expected to maximize the synergy effect.

Evaluated as the optimal stage for pioneering new markets in the field of air conditioning in Korea and abroad and promoting new technology and products, HARFKO has had its 16^th iteration this year after having its first event in 1989. With over 30 years of history and tradition, it has taken its place as one of the world’s 4 big HVAC&R exhibitions along with the USA’s AHR EXPO, China’s 中國制冷展, and Germany’s Chillventa, and as Korea’s leading HVAC&R exhibition. By faithfully playing its role as a global marketplace that satisfies attending companies and visitors, it has been marking its spot as a top global exhibition in the HVAC&R field.

ICT trends have recently been taking the HVAC&R industry by storm. As such, they are promoting growth and development through the adoption or integration of IoT, AI, big data and ICT. In such a climate, HARFKO 2022, which opened with the theme of ‘Creating the Future with Digital Innovation Technology’, had the latest cutting-edge solution and technology in the field of ‘freezing, refrigeration, and air-conditioning’ on full display to create an impressive scene. It appears that there will be a growing interest in cutting-edge products like wired and wireless devices combining the advantages of energy efficiency, IoT, and digital networking and smart HVAC systems that combine big data and ICT control technology.

Reflecting eco-friendly trends, there were numerous eco-friendly energy-saving air conditioning systems and high-quality, high-efficiency automated and smart refrigeration air conditioning systems. With the prolongation of COVID-19 and repeating waves, there was a lot of interest in the ‘smart cold chain system’ which is used in both the entire process of vaccine manufacturing, transportation, and vaccination, as well as the transportation of food from the source to the dinner table. In addition, various technologies and products of organizations and companies working on improving the performance of air-conditioning systems to deal with indoor ultra-fine dust in mid-to-large buildings and on developing key technologies were revealed, attracting the attention of visitors.

HARFKO CONFERENCE was also held concurrently during the duration of fair in order to vitalize the HVAC&R industry which has been facing tough times due to COVID-19. There were seminars and lectures of various topics in the 3 categories of HARFKO conferences, which are HVAC&R, Technology & Trend, and Academic, making it a great opportunity to learn the latest tech trends and information related to HVAC.

There was also a live streaming of the companies attending the exhibition. A spokesman for the fair said, “We planned for a live stream in Korea and abroad in order to make it more interesting and fun for the people in the HVAC&R industry that have been having a tough time due to COVID, and also to make the fair a good opportunity to pioneer new markets in Korea and abroad as well as promote the companies. The live stream will be shown on the large LED screen installed in the back of Exhibition Hall 1, and there will be communication with viewers through events. We will do our best to have a safe and high-quality fair.”

HARFKO 2022, which opened with the theme of ‘Creating the Future with Digital Innovation Technology!’, was hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, and was overseen by the Korea Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Industry Association. △Refrigerant compressors, △air-conditioning equipment, △freezing and refrigerating equipment, △HVAC&R related parts, △cooling towers, △work tools and control and measuring instruments, △heating equipment, △air equipment, △facility equipment, △I.A.Q, △clean rooms were on display, and there were numerous special halls as well, such as △K-Air Hall, △Cold Chain Hall, △The Building Automation & Controls Hall, △Energy Efficiency Hall. Tool Tech Smart Welding Automation Fair and Digital Transformation Fait (DTon) were also held concurrently.