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Status of Daejeon

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Daejeon, the Hub City of Northeast Asia and Perfect Investment Destination

For the past forty years, Daejeon has led the future of the scientific field in South Korea.

As such, it is regarded as Korea’s best investment destination.

Per capita GDP (as of 2018) : KRW 27.14 million, 2.2% of national GRDP (KRW 1,900 trillion) : Ranks 6th among metropolitan cities, Per capita personal income: 99.3% of national average (KRW 19.89 million) : Ranks 4th in country (1st: Seoul, 2nd: Ulsan, 3rd: Gwangju) Large view of images
Statistics of Daejeon Metropolitan City
Area Population Economically Active Population GDP Growth Rate
(As of Dec. 2020)
Exports/ Imports
(As of Jun. 2022)
No. of Patents Applications
(As of Dec. 2020)
540km² 1.44 million people 630 thousand people 0.9%
(Ranks 2nd in the country)
National average -0.8%
Exports : 4.953 bln
Imports : 3.813 bln

Patents : 10,867 cases
(Ranks 3rd in the country following Gyeonggi and Seoul)


Model Utility Rights : 301 cases
(Ranks 3rd in the country following Gyeonggi and Seoul)

※ (Daejeon Metropolitan City statistics, Dec.31.2019)

Mecca for the R&D and Knowledge Industry

In the Daedeok INNOPOLIS, which is the largest of the five R&D zones in Korea, roughly 60.26% of the KRW 12 billion (12.7986 trillion won) government budget for R&D is invested. Here, the clusters of government-funded and corporate research institutes are established, and small and medium-sized SMEs and startups in advanced fields such as MT, BT, and ICT are actively engaged in business activity.

Center of Administration in Korea

The Daejeon Government Complex, TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command), Logistics Command are located in Daejeon, and the Government Complex of Sejong is close to it. Daejeon is home to many central administrative agencies, including the Korea Customs Service, Public Procurement Service and the Korean Intellectual Property Office. The city offers one-stop services for various licensing to support foreign-invested companies quickly.

Foreigner-Friendly Environment

A top-class living environment for foreigners has been built in Daejeon. Daejeon Christian International School has introduced the International Baccalaureate (IB) for the first time in South Korea, and high-quality medical institutions, which are exclusive for foreigners, are located in the area. Moreover, complex-type foreign investment zones are formed within the central districts of the International Science & Business Belt to lease land to foreign-invested companies at an affordable price and actively support foreign investment promotion.

Investment Qualified Place with International Credit Rating

Daejeon is the world’s top destinations for foreign direct investment as it has received an excellent credit rating from the global leading credit-rating agencies, S&P Global Ratings, Moody's, and Fitch Group.