IPC (Global Electronics Association) organized IPC K-FEST 2026 in Seoul to bring industry experts together to discuss AI growth, electronics manufacturing and standards. The fourth IPC Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology took place on November 3 with support from Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL).
Jung H. Yoon, Ph.D., distinguished engineer and CTO of IBM Supply Chain, delivered a remote keynote on AI infrastructure growth, technology drivers and changing supply chain dynamics. He discussed advanced packaging, high-bandwidth memory, interconnects, power delivery and cooling solutions, highlighting the need for coordinated development across the electronics supply chain.
Sydney Xiao, president of East Asia at the Global Electronics Association, presented research on AI adoption in PCBA manufacturing. While 81% of surveyed companies planned to increase AI investment in manufacturing, only 10% said they had achieved scaled AI integration. The research identified talent and capability gaps, difficulty demonstrating return on investment (ROI), challenges replicating pilot results in production, data quality and cross-system integration as considerations.
Technical presentations covered high-power PCB reliability, conformal coating from design through application guided by IPC standards, and equipment connectivity and manufacturing data exchange through IPC-2591 CFX. The speakers were Lee Jinho, whose background includes the Korea Electronics Technology Institute and an advisory role at Daeduck Electronics; Hwang Young-Ho of Guru E&E Inc.; and Jeong Seong-O of Interxsoft Corporation, respectively.
Regional task group vice chairs Yu Jae-Wook of LG Energy Solution and Jang Soon-Sik of Huneed Technologies discussed IPC standards activities and localization in Korea, including IPC-A-610, J-STD-001 and IPC/WHMA-A-620. An IPC-A-610 / J-STD-001 Regional Task Group Meeting gave participants a forum to discuss technical questions and share implementation experience. Tina Choi, chief representative for Korea at the Global Electronics Association, reviewed the Association’s achievements in Korea in 2026, priorities for 2027 and major global events.
The Global Electronics Association Korea Awards 2026 recognized contributions to standards and industry development. Park Jihun of Kyungshin Cable received a Special Contribution Award for his work with the Korean IPC-A-610 task group, international standards development and revision, Korean translation reviews and standards adoption. EOS received a plaque of appreciation recognizing ten years of Association membership and its continued promotion of IPC standards in PCB design, fabrication and assembly.
The Association described K-FEST as a platform for Korea’s electronics industry to exchange experience and participate in international standards development, linking AI trends, factory-floor challenges and standards work.
