The Consumer Electronics Show(CES) 2021 kicked off virtually on Monday with about two-thousand companies from some 130 countries taking part.

According to the event’s organizers and the Korea Association for ICT Promotion, a total of three-hundred-45 South Korean companies are taking part in the world’s largest trade show for IT and consumer electronics.

By country, South Korea is the second-largest participant after the U.S., with a large number of Chinese companies deciding not to take part this year due to the U.S.-China trade war.  

South Korean conglomerates participating in CES include Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, LG Display, GS Caltex and Mando Corporation. This year, some 260 South Korean startups are taking part in the event, a record number.

Korean companies are demonstrating non-face-to-face healthcare products and the latest technology for mobile networks, smart homes, artificial intelligence and robots.  

As the number of participating companies saw a sharp drop with the event being held online for the first time ever and with many Chinese firms abstaining, Samsung and LG Electronics are drawing all the more media and industry attention.