"Invest in the Three Mega-Projects"... Seoul Hosts Korea's "Largest" Foreign Investment Attraction Event

"Invest Korea Summit 2026" to Be Held
Seven Global Companies to Declare $2 Billion in Investments on Opening Day
Three New R&D Centers for Foreign-Invested Companies to Be Designated

The country's largest foreign investment attraction event, aimed at turning domestic industrial and regional growth plans, including three major mega-projects in semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers, into actual investments by global companies, will be held from November 4 to 6.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the Invest Korea Summit (IKS) will take place from November 4 to 6 at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Seoul. About 2,000 people are expected to attend, including investors from around 200 companies visiting Korea, foreign-invested companies, foreign diplomats and chambers of commerce in Korea, and local governments.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jungkwan delivers a keynote address at the “Public Forum on Three Mega-Projects,” held under the theme “Challenges in Becoming a National Growth Platform,” at Ferrum Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2026. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Last year, the country's declared foreign investment exceeded $36 billion, setting a record. Through the third quarter of this year, declared investment totaled $22.9 billion, up 10.8% from the same period last year. "Investment momentum in Korea remains strong, but caution is spreading in global investment markets. Geopolitical uncertainty and higher financing costs are weighing on companies, which are scrutinizing actual demand and business viability more closely," a ministry official said. "As investment decisions become more cautious, competition among countries to attract investment is expected to intensify further."

In response to these changes, this year's IKS has made "regions" and "AI" its key themes. Through the event, the government plans to spotlight new growth drivers and business opportunities that the Five Poles and Three Special Provinces growth strategy and the manufacturing AI transformation (M.AX) will create across Korea. In particular, the summit will focus on turning domestic industrial and regional growth plans, including three major mega-projects in semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers, into actual investments by global companies.

At the investment declaration ceremony, seven global companies will declare investments totaling $2 billion, the largest amount ever announced at an IKS event. The UK's Nscale will invest in building AI data centers, one of the three major mega-project areas, and in balanced regional development. France's Air Liquide, a global industrial gas manufacturer that supplies industrial gases and specialty gases for semiconductors to 75 countries, will provide a stable supply of gases essential to the production of AI memory semiconductors.

Alongside the investment declaration ceremony, three new foreign-invested company research and development (R&D) centers will be designated. They are UK-based Edwards, a manufacturer of vacuum pumps for semiconductors; France's Valeo, an autonomous vehicle parts company; and Japan's Ibiden, a manufacturer of graphite for semiconductors. These companies will receive benefits including a reduction in the period required to qualify for permanent residency from five to three years and bonus points when applying for R&D programs reserved for foreign-invested companies. The ministry expects all three centers, located outside the Seoul metropolitan area, to help strengthen regional R&D capabilities and advanced industry ecosystems. This is also expected.

This year, the program to attract regional investment will also be expanded. Investment relations (IR) sessions on local governments' investment environments will be divided into three industry groups: semiconductors and AI; bio and health care; and future mobility, logistics and batteries. This will allow investors to explore the industrial base and business opportunities in regions that match their interests. On November 6, the final day of the event, on-site investment briefings will be held in four regions: Gwangju-Jeonnam, Busan, Daegu-Gyeongbuk and Gyeonggi.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote cooperation between KOTRA's Invest Korea (IK) and the Korea Data Center Council (KDCC) is scheduled to be signed to attract foreign investment in data centers, a sector seeing rising investment demand. Building on the agreement, the organizations plan to jointly hold data center IR sessions and work with the Ministry of Science and ICT, including through the AI Data Center Alliance, launched in July this year, to address investment challenges, including by holding meetings with foreign investors.

"We will write a new chapter in Korea's growth by combining foreign investment with the manufacturing AI transformation and the Five Poles and Three Special Provinces growth strategy," said Park Jeongseong, head of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Office of Trade Negotiations. "To that end, we will focus on developing investment hubs such as M.AX clusters and RE100 industrial complexes; introducing super-regional special zones to provide bold regulatory exemptions and support for permits and approvals; helping foreign-invested companies in regional areas secure talent through recruitment briefings and job fairs; and supporting large-scale regional investments through special subsidies for growth engines."

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