Regional Growth Engines - Industry-Specific Investment Attraction Briefings, Strengthening Cooperation Among 31 Nationwide Institutions
Discussions on Target Sectors and Attraction Cooperation Plans for Investment in Five Major Poles and Three Special Zones

Amid the government's emphasis on shifting to a ‘5-Poles 3-Special Zones System’ for balanced regional development, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), local governments, and Free Economic Zone Authorities (FEZAs) have reunited to expand foreign investment attraction contributing to regional economies.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA, President Kang Kyung-sung) announced it hosted the ‘2026 Industry-Specific Investment Attraction Strategy Briefing’ at its headquarters on January 14, inviting local governments and Free Economic Zone (FEZ) authorities.

Invest KOREA, KOTRA's dedicated investment attraction agency, along with representatives from 31 local governments and FEZ investment attraction officials, gathered to share △the 2026 investment attraction outlook and strategy, △investment attraction strategies for representative industries that will serve as regional growth engines, and to discuss investment attraction measures to contribute to balanced regional development.

Despite spreading global uncertainties, the reported amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) attracted in 2025 reached a record high of $36.05 billion, a 4.3% increase from the previous year. However, this year's investment attraction environment is expected to be even more challenging due to major countries' growing protectionism and the spread of manufacturing-focused industrial policies. Cooperation among relevant agencies is crucial not only for expanding the overall scale of investment attraction but also for attracting investments that contribute to regional economies.

The government has emphasized attracting foreign investment that contributes to the transition to a regional growth system since last year. In December 2025, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Kim Jeong-kwan) convened the ‘Central-Local Foreign Investment Policy Council’ with KOTRA, the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, 13 metropolitan cities and provinces, and 5 Free Economic Zone Authorities to discuss regionally focused foreign investment attraction policies.

Kim Tae-hyung, CEO of Invest Korea, stated, “Close cooperation between the government, local governments, and industry is essential for attracting investments that contribute to the regional economy.” He added, “To expand industry-region linked investment attraction reflecting the characteristics of the five major regions and three special regions, we will collaborate more extensively with local governments and FZAs in terms of projects and information, and work together.”



Source : Invest KOREA(2026.01.15.)