* A venue for policy exchange across the full hydrogen industry cycle, bolstering Korea’s push toward hydrogen-economy leadership
* From hydrogen trams to drones, next-generation hydrogen mobility showcased at scale
The organizing committee of World Hydrogen Expo 2025 (WHE 2025)—co-chaired by Nam-hoon Kang, Chairman of the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association, and Jae-hong Kim, Chairman of the Korea Hydrogen Alliance—announced that WHE 2025 successfully concluded after welcoming more than 25,000 visitors from Thursday, December 4 to Sunday, December 7 at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Ilsan.
Held under the slogan “Hydrogen Pioneers: Innovate, Unite, and Accelerate,” WHE 2025 was staged as an integrated event combining Korea’s largest hydrogen-focused exhibition, H2 MEET, with a global conference. Through tightly connected programs—an exhibition, an international conference, and global networking—WHE 2025 strengthened its position as a world-class platform spanning the complete hydrogen industry value chain.
Major Korean corporations such as Hyundai Motor Group, HD HYUNDAI INFRACORE, Kolon Industries, and Bumhan Fuel Cell participated alongside a wide range of mid-sized firms, SMEs, and startups, unveiling advanced technologies across electrolysis, storage, fuel cells, and green hydrogen production.
Global industry leaders—including 3M, Emerson, Linde, Henkel (Loctite), TÜV SÜD, and Air Liquide—also operated large-scale booths, presenting hydrogen technologies and competitiveness from their respective markets while expanding opportunities for technical exchange and partnership-building between Korean and overseas companies.
WHE 2025’s conference program, covering policy, technology, and market outlook, was organized into three tracks: Leadership & Market Insight, Hydrogen Deep Dive, and Country Day.
In the Leadership & Market Insight sessions, key figures including Deok-yeol Park, Director General for Hydrogen Economy Policy, and Seong-hwan Cho, President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), presented policy directions for clean hydrogen and international standardization strategies. Government and corporate representatives from hydrogen-importing and exporting countries also discussed pathways to accelerate clean hydrogen adoption and strengthen international cooperation.
Hydrogen Deep Dive addressed core topics, including the global hydrogen market outlook, international standardization strategies, clean ammonia and hydrogen transport technologies, and demand creation strategies. Country Day featured Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which shared national hydrogen strategies, regulatory and certification approaches, and supply-chain collaboration cases.
During the event, the 8th General Assembly of the Global Hydrogen Industrial Association Alliance (GHIAA)—a coalition of significant hydrogen associations worldwide—was held. Membership expanded from 26 to 31 countries following approval of five new members: Vietnam, India, Peru, Malaysia, and South Africa. Key agenda items included boosting information exchange among members and strengthening GHIAA’s international activities.
At the H2 Innovation Award, which recognizes hydrogen technology innovation, the following winners were announced:
* Grand Prize: BTE, hydrogen fuel-cell generator “GEN100”
* Hydrogen Production Excellence Award: APGREEN, “distributed low-power hydrogen production system”
* Storage & Transport Excellence Award: ENERGYN, “high-pressure bellows hydrogen compressor”
* Hydrogen Utilization Excellence Award: VINSSEN, “100 kW marine hydrogen fuel cell”
Around 200 key domestic and international stakeholders attended the awards ceremony on the afternoon of December 4, celebrating the winners and reaffirming their commitment to cooperation in advancing the hydrogen industry.
International media outlets, including H2 Energy News (UK), H2 Mobile (France), SolarQuarter (India), and RenewablesNow (Bulgaria), joined as official partners, supporting the global promotion of participating companies’ technologies and brand value. A delegation of specialized overseas reporters also selected “Global Media Pick” winners across the hydrogen value chain.
Each of the five participating media outlets named two companies based on criteria including expertise and public appeal, resulting in a balanced list ranging from major corporations such as Hyundai Motor Group and HD HYUNDAI INFRACORE to promising SMEs recognized for global potential. The selected companies were: VINSSEN and G-Philos (H2 Energy News, UK); Hylium Industries and Hyundai Motor Group (RenewablesNow, Bulgaria); HD HYUNDAI INFRACORE and ILJIN HYSOLUS (H2 Mobile, France); Bekaert (Belgium) and OPmobility (France) (SolarQuarter, India); and 3M Korea and Shinsung CNT (AVING USA, USA).
The H2 Business Partnership Fair, co-hosted with KOTRA, also drew active engagement through technology and investment briefings and buyer-to-company consultations—serving as a practical networking venue for hydrogen businesses. A total of 277 business consultations were held, involving 39 overseas buyers from 10 countries across Asia, Europe, the United States, and Oceania, as well as 84 Korean hydrogen companies and local governments. The fair produced tangible outcomes, including one contract and five MOUs.
On the exhibition floor, Hyundai Motor Group’s full-scale displays of next-generation hydrogen mobility—such as hydrogen buses and hydrogen-powered trams—attracted intense attention. A three-day test-drive program for the hydrogen vehicle “The all-new NEXO” also generated enthusiastic responses.
Hyundai Motor Group also ran a “Hydrogen Academy” lecture program to help visitors better understand its hydrogen business. The master classes covered three themes—“Why Hydrogen?,” “Hydrogen Upstream Technologies and Business,” and “Hydrogen Mobility and Diverse Applications”—with group employees presenting the company’s current status and vision. In addition, Hydrogen Council member companies Linde and Air Liquide delivered lectures as part of the program.
Over the weekend, talks featuring science-and-tech content creator Geekble and CEO Tae-hwan Yoon, broadcaster Julian Quintart, and author Jaesik Kwak added to the momentum, engaging audiences in accessible discussions on the theme “Hydrogen’s unique value and a sustainable future.”
WHE Organizing Committee Chairman Nam-hoon Kang said, “World Hydrogen Expo has steadily evolved alongside the growth of Korea’s hydrogen industry since it began in 2020 under the title ‘H2 MEET.’ This year, we expanded and reorganized both the exhibition and conference to create a practical global hydrogen cooperation platform where not only global companies but also government officials from multiple countries take part.”
He added, “This event was meaningful in that global hydrogen leaders gathered in one place to generate synergy across the hydrogen ecosystem through practical cooperation and knowledge exchange. It also served as an opportunity to reaffirm Korea’s capabilities and potential as a country leading the hydrogen economy, while solidifying WHE’s position as a core platform across the hydrogen value chain.”
The organizing committee noted that WHE 2026, scheduled for November next year, will return with a larger scale and deeper content, strengthening organic links among technology, policy, and business to advance toward becoming a world-leading hydrogen industry platform.
Meanwhile, the World Hydrogen Expo 2025 is one of the world’s most significant hydrogen industry events, bringing together companies from around the globe to showcase the latest technologies and trends and create opportunities for global cooperation. Starting this year, the International Hydrogen Conference and the H2 MEET exhibition were integrated into a unified event spanning both conference and exhibition programming. Covering the whole value chain from production to storage, transport, and utilization, WHE continues to position itself as a hub for global collaboration by sharing innovative technologies and market strategies.