The Korea Exhibition Center (KOEX), established in 1979, was the first permanent comprehensive exhibition hall in Korea. Located where today’s COEX Hall B, D, and ASEM Tower now stand, the original facility had one basement level and three above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 26,249 sq. m., making it the largest exhibition facility in Korea at the time. The 1984 Seoul International Trade Fair was held here, and even after the opening of COEX and the Korea World Trade Center (Trade Tower) ahead of the 1988 Olympics, KOEX was used as an annex for some time. Following the confirmation of Seoul as the host city for the 1996 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), KOEX was demolished in 1997 to convert COEX into a comprehensive convention center, with the current ASEM Tower completed on the site in 2000.

KOEX’s architecture interpreted the traditional architectural motifs of wooden structure in a modern way through steel pipes and space trusses. Inside, a central hall was flanked by permanent exhibition halls on either side, with a special exhibition hall in a column-free northern space, aiming for flexibility to accommodate diverse exhibitions