Samil PwC: "Investment in the U.S. Now a Condition for Market Access... Linking to National Interests Is Key"

Report: How the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation Is Reshaping Industry and Supply Chains

An analysis has found that the United States is using tariffs as a policy tool to encourage investment in strategic industries and to secure domestic production bases, making investment in the U.S. a condition for market access.

On June 17, Samil PwC announced the publication of its report titled "Industry and Supply Chain Order Changed by the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation." The report was prepared to analyze the structure of Korean investment in the United States and to suggest future directions for changes in industry and supply chains, in light of the enforcement of the "Special Act on the Operation and Management of Strategic Investment between the Republic of Korea and the United States (Special Act on U.S. Investment)" and the launch of the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation, both set for June 18.

The report analyzes that the current investments in the U.S. are closer to an unavoidable condition for maintaining access to the U.S. market. It emphasizes that the crux of future policy lies not in the expansion of investments themselves, but in connecting them to strengthening domestic industrial competitiveness and advancing national interests.

The report also projects that the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation will function not only as a funding agency, but also as a "control tower" and a national-level execution platform, overseeing the entire process from investment target selection and structural design to execution and post-investment management.

This investment initiative will focus on strategic industries such as shipbuilding, semiconductors, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence (AI), combining local production in the U.S. with participation in supply chains. In the shipbuilding sector, a separate support structure linking with the domestic industry will be implemented.

In particular, a notable feature of the investment structure is its "project-based" design. U.S.-bound investments will be led by the government, with companies participating as key actors in individual projects. The results after investment are expected to be determined by which projects companies join and what functions they secure.

The report forecasts that these structural changes will also alter the standards of industrial competition. Unlike in the past, when price and production capacity were key criteria, securing a specific role and position in U.S. supply chains is likely to become the core competitive strength. The focus of competition, it predicts, will shift from "expanding exports" to "securing participation and roles in supply chains."

By industry, the report expects investment opportunities to materialize first in infrastructure-centric sectors such as energy, AI, and semiconductors. Especially with the proliferation of data centers and increasing electricity demand, investments in power and energy infrastructure are expected to grow, broadening opportunities across related industries.

The report presents four directions and implications for future response. First, the success or failure of investment depends more on the design of the investment structure than the scale of the investment amount. Second, companies must secure a critical role within U.S. supply chains, rather than simply participating in investment projects. Third, the government and the private sector must further develop a collaborative execution system centered on the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation. Lastly, the report emphasizes that companies need to break away from existing strategies and strategically redeploy key functions such as production and R&D.

Soh Juhyun, Global Trade Platform Leader (Partner) at Samil PwC, stated, "Ultimately, what matters is how we strengthen our industrial competitiveness through this investment," adding, "As the unit of competition shifts from companies to the nation, securing a critical role within supply chains will determine success or failure."

The full report is available on the Samil PwC website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.