Lee Eokwon: "The Southwestern Region Will Become a Hub for National Key Industries Such as Semiconductors and Energy"

Opening of KDB NextONE Gwangju

Second Regional Startup Hub After Busan

"Policy Finance Will Actively Support Promising AI Companies to Go Global"

Lee Eokwon, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, stated on the 7th that the southwestern region will emerge as a new growth hub for nationally important industries such as semiconductors and energy.

Lee Eokwon, Chair of the Financial Services Commission, delivers a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of 'KDB NextONE Gwangju' held on the afternoon of the 7th at the Gwangju branch of Korea Development Bank in Gwangju, Jeonnam. Financial Services Commission

Chairman Lee attended the opening ceremony of "KDB NextONE Gwangju" held in Gwangju on this day and said, "I sincerely congratulate the opening of KDB NextONE Gwangju and the official launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City, which has come together again for the first time in 40 years."

In his congratulatory remarks, Chairman Lee said, "With the 'Shinan Ui Offshore Wind Power Project,' the first project of the National Growth Fund, and investments by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix amounting to 800 trillion won, the southwestern region will newly establish itself as a key base driving nationally important industries such as semiconductors and energy."

KDB NextONE is Korea Development Bank's startup incubation platform, which selects promising early-stage startups and provides support such as office space, mentoring, consulting, networking, investment pitching (IR) connections, and overseas expansion. Following centers in Seoul and Busan, the newly opened Gwangju center serves as the second regional hub for fostering innovative startups in the southwest, and it is meaningful in that it expands venture infrastructure, previously concentrated in the metropolitan area, to regional areas.

Chairman Lee then visited the Gwangju High-Tech Zone 3 AI Industry Cluster, where he received a briefing from the Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Project Group (AICA) on the construction status of key infrastructure such as the National AI Data Center and autonomous driving simulators, and toured the site.

Chairman Lee emphasized, "AI is a core foundational technology that will determine the competitiveness of major industries such as future mobility, energy, and healthcare, and will play a very important role in enhancing the productivity and added value of local industries. The Gwangju AI Industry Cluster is an important innovation hub where AI technology development, demonstration, and commercialization can be interconnected."

He also promised continued support from policy financial institutions such as Korea Development Bank. Chairman Lee said, "Policy finance will actively support promising AI companies growing here so that, based on their technological capabilities and growth potential, they can leap from the domestic market to the global market. Additionally, together with Korea Development Bank and other policy financial institutions, we will continue to provide steady support so that the southwestern region can become a center for advanced industries such as AI."

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