Awarded in 'Strategic Sector Development' Category for Semiconductor Materials, Parts, and Equipment Supply Chain Investment Attraction
Consecutive International Organization Awards Following the UN Investment Promotion Award in October

Invest KOREA, the national investment promotion agency under the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA, President Kang Kyung-sung), received the '2026 WAIPA Investment Excellence Award' in the Strategic Sector Development category from the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in Geneva, Switzerland on the 10th (18:00 local time). This marks consecutive international organization awards following the 'UN Investment Promotion Award' from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the 25th of last month.

WAIPA is an international organization established in 1995 under the initiative of UNCTAD, comprising over 130 Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) worldwide as members. The Investment Excellence Awards are presented across four categories: ▲ Investor One-Stop Support Agency, ▲ Strategic Sector Development, ▲ Investment Attraction Excellence, and ▲ Aftercare/Investor Retention. An independent panel of experts from international organizations uates nominees in each category to award a single institution per category. The award ceremony took place on the evening of the 10th at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) on the opening day of the 30th World Investment Conference 2026.

The Strategic Sector Development category won by Invest KOREA uates how an investment promotion agency has fostered a specific industry. Criteria include deep understanding of the target industry, targeted attraction of essential enterprises, and effective collaboration with government, industry, and research institutes. Invest KOREA was recognized for its 'Semiconductor Supply Chain Strengthening Project.' Semiconductor manufacturing requires numerous materials, parts, and equipment (MPE), some of which could not be produced domestically and relied entirely on imports. This project focused on attracting foreign enterprises producing these critical items to set up direct domestic production in South Korea. Selecting target enterprises alongside domestic semiconductor corporations and providing post-investment support for workforce and raw material procurement were praised as exemplary roles of an investment promotion agency.

Kim Tae-hyung, Head of Invest KOREA, stated, "This award is the result of international recognition for Invest KOREA's dedicated efforts in identifying key foreign enterprises essential to domestic industries and connecting them to actual investments," adding, "We will continue to leverage our global investment network to strengthen supply chains in advanced industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, while transforming domestic industrial and regional investment opportunities into concrete achievements."



Source：Invest KOREA (2026.11.11.)