MOTIR, KOTRA hosted the largest foreign investment promotion IR in conjunction with APEC Summit
Over 2,000 participants from global investment firms and foreign chambers of commerce, with a record-breaking USD 1.21 billion in investment pledges
Focus on attracting investments in advanced industries such as AI, semiconductors, and renewable energy, as well as regional investments
The investment pledge ceremony, main conference, sector-specific seminars, and IR activities drove investment attraction
* Advanced industries, Startups, Materials Parts and Equipment, Regional investment environments, Financial investments, etc.
The APEC Summit is adding vitality to the country's foreign investment promotion efforts. The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Resources (Minister Kim Jung-Kwan) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA, President Kang Kyung-sung) held the Invest Korea Summit 2025 (IKS) from October 29 to 31, attracting over 2,000 participants, including foreign investors and foreign chamber of commerce representatives, achieving the largest-ever foreign investment success.
This year's 21st IKS, held as part of the economic cooperation events coinciding with the APEC Summit, was the largest in terms of both scale and results. Amid accelerating structural changes in technology, industry, and trade investment, MOTIR and KOTRA organized various sessions to highlight the value and attractiveness of Korea's advanced industry supply chains and investment destinations, focusing on AI innovation and balanced regional development.
▶Record-Breaking Foreign Investment Success with a Focus on Advanced Industries
During the IKS event, investment successes continued in both Gyeongju and Seoul. On October 29th, at the "Global Investment Partnership" event held in Gyeongju, seven global companies presented investment plans totaling USD 9 billion over five years. Major companies from the AI and semiconductor sectors, including Amazon Web Services, Renault, and Amkor Technology, made significant direct and indirect investments, which are expected to play an important role in strengthening Korea's industrial competitiveness. A USD 660 million investment pledge was announced on-site.
On October 30th in Seoul, seven global companies announced investment pledges totaling USD 550 million, covering sectors such as semiconductors, future cars, offshore wind, and advanced materials. Tokyo Electron and Mitsui Chemicals announced investments in semiconductor equipment and materials, Ocean Winds in renewable energy, Valeo in autonomous vehicle parts, and BASF in high-value-added chemicals. Additionally, in the rapidly growing K-culture sector, HappyTuk is going to invest in AI-based content, Agrana in food manufacturing.
▶ ‘AI Innovation Partner Korea’ Vision Presented by Global Industry Experts
The main conference, themed "AI Innovation Partner, KOREA," gathered key industry experts to discuss global investment cooperation in the AI era and Korea's role.
Naver Cloud and Furiosa AI presented their visions for a "Sovereign AI Ecosystem" and "Next-Generation AI Computing," emphasizing Korea as a hub for global companies' AI investment collaborations, attracting significant interest from global investors.
In the panel discussions, experts from four key sectors of advanced industries—capital flows (UNCTAD), hardware (ASM), sustainable energy (RWE), and future computing (Pasqal)—offered global collaboration strategies based on Korea's industrial competitiveness, investment environment, and supply chain strategies. The speakers highlighted the importance of medium- to long-term collaboration in infrastructure and clean energy for leading the AI ecosystem and expanding Korea's role.
▶ Investment Ecosystem Contributing to Regional Balanced Development
Another key theme of the IKS was "Investments Contributing to Balanced Regional Development." Six local governments presented their investment environments through IR sessions, showcasing advanced industrial complexes by region, incentives, and investment environment. Pohang, Gyeonggi, Suwon, Ulsan and Gyeongju held on-site IR sessions at industrial facilities such as batteries, software, and automotive manufacturing, receiving favorable feedback from investors.
The event also featured pitching and consultation sessions for investment attraction to startups in future industries such as fintech, health tech, green tech, and ICT, inviting overseas venture capital (VC) firms, accelerators, and global corporate venture capital (CVC) firms. In the financial investment attraction forum, domestic and foreign institutional investors were briefed on Korea's capital market growth policies, market trends, and investment opportunities.
KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung commented, "This year's Invest KOREA Summit not only highlighted our nation's IR capabilities but also served as an optimal opportunity to promote Korea's rise as one of the top three AI powerhouses, balanced regional development, and global investment cooperation," adding that "We will make every effort to enhance our industrial competitiveness by collaborating with global companies and attracting investment projects to secure leadership in advanced industry supply chains."
Source: Invest KOREA (2025.10.30.)