Contains the latest data on 9,930 Korean companies operating in 84 countries worldwide

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Ahn Duk-geun) and KOTRA (CEO & President Kang Kyung-sung) published the "2025 Directory of Korean Companies Overseas" on January 2. The directory, now in its 33rd year of publication, contains information on 9,930 Korean companies operating in 84 countries worldwide.

This publication comprehensively contains the status of overseas expansion by Korean companies, reflecting changes in domestic and international economic conditions. It has served as a foundational resource for formulating overseas investment strategies for Korean companies and is widely used by government agencies, research institutions, and various other sectors.

The latest directory survey reflects the current status of Korean companies' overseas direct investment, considering recent changes such as global supply chain restructuring, major countries' investment promotion policies, and the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict.

As of December 2024, the major regions for Korean companies’ overseas expansion include Southeast Asia and Oceania (40.2%, 3,991 companies), China (24.1%, 2,397 companies), and North America (10.7%, 1,065 companies). A notable feature compared to the 2023 directory is the reflection of recent trends in Korean companies' expansion in response to global supply chain restructuring.

Among the companies operating abroad, 71.0% were set up as 'corporations'. Specifically, the breakdown includes production corporations (28.4%), service corporations (22.0%), and sales corporations (17.8%). Other forms of expansion included branches (18.7%) and representative offices (3.4%). Regionally, production corporations were most common in China, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, and Latin America, while service corporations were most prominent in the CIS region, and sales corporations were most prent in Japan and North America.

Commissioner Kim Tae-Hyung of KOTRA Invest KOREA stated, "The Directory of Korean Companies Overseas is the only resource that surveys and compiles data on the global expansion of Korean companies. We hope this directory serves as a compass to accurately understand the status of our companies operating around the world through overseas direct investment and formulate business strategies."



Source: Invest KOREA (2025.01.02.)