Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

MOTIR and SNU Sign MOU to Strengthen M.AX Alliance Cooperation

Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) attended the signing ceremony for the “MOU on M.AX Alliance Cooperation between MOTIR and Seoul National University,” held at Seoul National University on November 24. The ceremony was joined by SNU President Ryu Hong-lim and heads of related research institutes. Participants discussed cooperation in manufacturing AI, data utilization, and talent development under the M.AX Alliance. Minister Kim emphasized that the combination of the Alliance’s world-class manufacturing capabilities with SNU’s creative research and outstanding talent will accelerate Korea’s vision of becoming a global leader in Manufacturing AX. date2025-11-25

SNU and M.AX Alliance to Jointly Develop AI Models for Humanoids, Autonomous Vehicles, and AI Factories

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan) and Seoul National University (SNU, President Ryu Hong-lim) signed an MOU on November 24 to strengthen cooperation between SNU and the M.AX Alliance. Launched by MOTIR and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in September, the M.AX Alliance includes more than 1,000 participating organizations, including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, and Rainbow Robotics. MOTIR previously announced that through the Alliance, the government aims to innovate manufacturing processes and foster new industries such as humanoids, creating more than KRW 100 trillion in added value by 2030 and positioning Korea as a global leader in Manufacturing AX. SNU to Fully Participate in the M.AX Alliance With this MOU, SNU is expected to begin fully participating in the M.AX Alliance’s core programs, particularly in AI model development, manufacturing data utilization, and talent development. ❶ SNU will jointly develop AI models for humanoids, autonomous vehicles, and AI factories together with manufacturing companies in the Alliance. The companies will provide SNU with the data and platforms—robots, vehicles, and factories—needed for developing AI models in each field. The developed AI models will then be supplied back to the companies for integration into their products and factories. MOTIR recently launched related R&D projects to support this initiative. ❷ SNU and the M.AX Alliance will cooperate on manufacturing data utilization. The two will develop a plan by next year for the joint use of manufacturing data secured through their respective R&D activities and projects such as the AI Factory. The plan will outline methods for preprocessing, standardizing, and anonymizing data so it can be applied to AI model development and demonstration. To support this, MOTIR will develop and implement a program next year to build and utilize a manufacturing data repository. ❸ SNU and the Alliance will also work closely on talent development. MOTIR will leverage industry–academia cooperation projects and talent development programs to create various opportunities for outstanding SNU students to participate in Alliance activities. Under the MOU, the SNU Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation will select promising students and provide them with opportunities to participate in R&D projects and internship programs within the Alliance. Next Steps Following the MOU, SNU and MOTIR will expand discussions through one-on-one collaboration between six specialized research institutes at SNU and corresponding subcommittees of the M.AX Alliance. Minister Kim stated, “Once the world-class manufacturing capabilities of M.AX Alliance companies combine with SNU’s creative research and outstanding talent, the vision of becoming the world’s leading manufacturing AX nation will be well within reach.” date2025-11-24

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Amkor Korea’s New Test Facility in Incheon

Kang Gam-chan, Director General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Amkor Korea’s new test facility at the company’s Songdo site in Incheon on Wednesday, November 19.   He joined Kevin Engel, COO of Amkor Technology; Yun Won-sok, Commissioner of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority; and representatives from partner companies including Samsung Electronics for the groundbreaking performance, and then toured the facility.   In his congratulatory remarks, Director General Kang expressed gratitude for Amkor’s decision to invest in Korea despite intensifying global competition in the semiconductor sector. He added that the Korean government will work to ensure that investment commitments made during APEC proceed without delay by expanding cash-grant support, strengthening location and tax incentives, and improving regulatory frameworks. date2025-11-21

Amkor Korea Launches Investment in High-Tech Semiconductor Packaging and Testing

Kang Gam-chan, Director General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Amkor Technology Korea’s new semiconductor test facility in Songdo, Incheon, on Wednesday, November 19. Amkor Technology traces its origins to Anam Industrial, Korea’s first company to enter the semiconductor industry in 1968. After overcoming the 1997 Asian financial crisis through investment from the U.S., the company has grown into a leading global specialist in semiconductor packaging and testing technologies. Amkor Korea plans to build three production lines and install new equipment to secure mass-production packaging capabilities and testing technologies for advanced semiconductors. The company also aims to expand cooperation with domestic semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment suppliers to strengthen Korea’s AI semiconductor ecosystem. This groundbreaking is particularly meaningful as it marks a tangible outcome less than a month after global companies announced investment plans at the “Global Investor Partnership” event during APEC 2025 on October 29. Following the Songdo facility expansion, Amkor Technology may pursue additional investment in its packaging plant in Gwangju, contributing to balanced regional development. In his congratulatory remarks, Director General Kang thanked Amkor for its bold decision to invest in Korea amid intensifying global competition for semiconductor leadership. He stated, “We hope Amkor Korea’s investment will signal further investment expansion by global companies in Korea.” He emphasized that “the Korean government will ensure that the investment commitments made by global companies during APEC are carried out without delay by expanding cash-grant support, strengthening location and taxation incentives, and improving regulatory frameworks. date2025-11-20

Graphene Square Opens Pohang Plant, Advancing Graphene Commercialization and Regional Growth

The opening ceremony for Graphene Square’s new Pohang plant—one of the region’s key relocated enterprises—was held on Tuesday, November 18, in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Graphene Square is the world’s first company to commercialize mass-synthesis technology for graphene and apply it to real-world products. Using its chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-based graphene synthesis technology, the company leads the global market in large-scale production and commercialization of high-quality graphene. The newly completed Pohang plant establishes the world’s first mass-production system for CVD graphene films, with an annual production capacity of 300,000 square meters. This marks a major starting point for full-scale graphene commercialization. It is also expected to serve as an important milestone in Korea’s balanced national development, positioning Pohang—designated in August as an Industrial Crisis Response Area—as a rising hub for the graphene industry alongside steel. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) has consistently supported the graphene industry by providing R&D assistance for graphene-related technologies and by designating Graphene Square’s technology as an “advanced technology” under the Act on Prevention of Divulgence and Protection of Industrial Technology in September. MOTIR also contributed to the establishment of the Pohang plant by providing Local Investment Promotion Subsidies, aiding Pohang’s efforts to attract the facility. In his congratulatory remarks, Kim Seong-yeol, Director General for Industrial Infrastructure at MOTIR, stated, "Graphene is a core material that will determine competitiveness in future high-tech industries. The government will continue to support the graphene industry through various measures such as identifying new applications and improving regulatory conditions.” He added, “Attracting the graphene plant to Pohang demonstrates that regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area can secure major high-tech industries, providing a successful model for balanced national development that goes beyond simple regional parity and enables genuine regional growth. Building on the ‘5-Poles, 3-Specialized Zones’ strategy, we will continue to create a favorable investment environment by improving infrastructure and living conditions, expanding local investment subsidies, and supporting regional efforts to attract innovative companies.” date2025-11-18

K-Mobility Drives the Future of Innovation

Korea’s Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited Kia’s Hwaseong plant on November 14 to commemorate the new EVO Plant facilities and chair the first Future Mobility Industry Strategy Dialogue. While the Korea–U.S. tariff agreement has lowered auto and parts tariffs to 15 percent and eased market uncertainty, the automotive industry continues to face major challenges, including intensifying global competition in AI-based autonomous driving, maintaining domestic manufacturing capabilities, achieving carbon neutrality, transforming the parts ecosystem, and diversifying export markets. To drive a new leap forward for Korea’s automotive sector, the government unveiled the K-Mobility Global Leadership Strategy with the following key elements: 1.    Overcoming U.S. Tariff Challenges – To ease exporters’ remaining burden despite tariff reduction, the government will expand policy finance to more than KRW 15 trillion in 2026 and apply tariff quotas to raw materials used for vehicle and parts production. Korea will also boost EV subsidies to KRW 936 billion in 2026 (up from KRW 715 billion in 2025) and launch a new financing program for transport operators adopting electric and hydrogen buses.  2.    Establishing the K-Mobility Mother Factory – In response to global protectionism and Korean companies’ overseas market expansion, the government will strengthen policy support to maintain domestic production at more than 4 million vehicles and enhance manufacturing quality. It will also restructure the incentive framework for production, investment, and R&D in eco-friendly and advanced automotive components, provide up to KRW 1 million in additional EV transition incentives, and promote auto and parts workplace innovation through HTC-Bootcamp. The government also aims to transition 70 percent of internal combustion engine (ICE) parts companies into future mobility suppliers, designate 200 specialized parts companies by 2030, advance Industrial GX R&D, and foster 70,000 future mobility specialists by 2033. 3.    Readiness for the AI Autonomous Era – Korea will scale up autonomous vehicle R&D to close the technology gap with the U.S. and China by 2030, develop an E2E-AI autonomous driving model by 2027, and establish standard platforms for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and AI-Defined Vehicles (AIDVs). The government aims to mass-produce autonomous vehicles by 2028 and will finalize all related legal and institutional improvements by 2026. Korea will also establish a comprehensive AI mobility test complex to support real-world autonomous driving demonstrations in urban environments, develop guidelines for autonomous-driving data sharing, and prioritize regulatory improvements, such as permitting the use of original video data, easing temporary operation-zone restrictions, and expanding pilot zones. 4.    Expanding K-Future Mobility Globally – To accelerate global expansion, the government will strengthen market development across seven high-potential countries. Domestically, it will establish a KRW 50 billion future mobility industrial technology innovation fund and leverage the National Growth Fund. Korea will further enhance regional competitiveness through industry–academia–research clusters, supporting the global growth of its future mobility industry. date2025-11-14

ASML Hwaseong Campus Opening Ceremony

Kang Gam-chan, Director General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, attended the “ASML Hwaseong Campus Opening Ceremony” on Wednesday, November 12, at the ASML Hwaseong Campus in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do.  The event was joined by ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet , Dutch Ambassador to Korea Peter van der Vliet, as well as representatives from local governments, related institutions, and companies. After delivering opening remarks, Director General Kang participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the campus.   Director General Kang emphasized the importance of foreign investment to Korea’s economic innovation and growth, noting that the government will continue to improve the investment environment through expanded cash grants, enhanced location and tax incentives, and regulatory improvements. He added that close coordination among local and central governments and partner countries is essential for advancing Korea’s semiconductor industry, expressing hope that Korea–Netherlands cooperation and investment will continue to deepen. date2025-11-14

Korea’s Bioindustry Sees Growth in 2024: Production Up 9.8%, Exports Up 17.1%, Investment Up 46.1%

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan) and the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO, President Ko Hansung) announced the results of the 2025 Bioindustry Survey (Based on 2024 Data), which covers the status of production, trade, employment, and investment in Korea’s bioindustry. Conducted under Article 3 of the Statistics Act, the survey is a national statistical report released annually by MOTIR through KoreaBIO, based on the previous year’s bioindustry performance. As biotechnology expands beyond pharmaceuticals and food into broader industrial applications and daily life, ushering in the era of the bioeconomy, this survey provides valuable insight into the scale of Korea’s biotechnology-based economy. According to the findings, Korea’s bioindustry production reached KRW 22.9 trillion, marking a 9.8 percent increase from the previous year and signaling a recovery in growth. Bioindustry exports rose 17.1 percent year-on-year, driven by increased shipments of major products such as antibody drugs and biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing (CMO) services, which in turn boosted overall production. Investment also surged, with R&D spending up 3.2 percent and large-scale facility investment up 145.3 percent, resulting in a 46.1 percent increase in total investment. Choi Woo-hyuk, Director General for Advanced Industry Policy at MOTIR, stated, “Despite ongoing uncertainty in the global trade environment, Korea’s bioindustry is regaining momentum. We will continue to strengthen support for companies’ efforts in research and development, production, and export expansion so that the bioindustry can play an even greater role in contributing to the Korean economy and employment.”   date2025-11-13

K-Fashion, Food, and Beauty Industries to Drive the Next Phase of K-Exports

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan) announced that Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo visited MUSINSA Standard Seongsu, a leading K-fashion retailer, on Wednesday, November 12, to examine the current status of K-fashion exports. He also held a roundtable with representatives from major retail and distribution companies, including MUSINSA, Delivered Korea, Coupang, CJ Olive Young, and Kurly, to discuss industry challenges and strategies for expanding exports of K-consumer goods. The visit and discussions were organized to explore ways to promote consumer goods exports through experienced retail platforms amid the global rise of K-culture and growing demand for K-consumer products. MOTIR plans to strengthen support for fostering K-consumer goods industries as new growth engines for exports. First, the ministry will promote premium branding of K-consumer goods by enhancing marketing efforts linked to the Korean Wave. It plans to expand promotional opportunities through major events such as K-pop concerts and the Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo (KBEE) while allowing trend-setting retail platforms to take the lead in planning and executing marketing initiatives. Second, MOTIR will work to resolve export challenges related to logistics, certification, and intellectual property rights. In cooperation with KOTRA’s overseas trade offices, the ministry will provide tailored logistics infrastructure for consumer goods and expand consulting and information services on foreign certifications, such as halal standards. Lastly, the ministry will support the expansion of direct-to-consumer (D2C) exports through online platforms. It aims to help Korean retailers grow into global platforms by assisting with the establishment and promotion of global online malls, as well as supporting partnerships with local logistics providers, and facilitating customs clearance and certification procedures. Trade Minister Yeo stated, “Our retail platforms serve as a key bridge connecting K-consumer goods with overseas consumers. As capable Korean retailers expand globally, more products from Korean SMEs are reaching customers worldwide. To further establish K-exports as a new growth engine, MOTIR will incorporate today’s discussions into the upcoming ‘Plan to Expand Exports of K-Consumer Goods Linked to the Korean Wave,’ which will be announced later this year.” date2025-11-13

ASML Completes Hwaseong Campus, Strengthening Cooperation in Advanced Semiconductor Technology

Kang Gam-chan, Director General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister Kim Jung-kwan), attended ASML’s “Hwaseong Campus Opening Ceremony” held on Wednesday, November 12, in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. ASML, a leading global semiconductor equipment company based in the Netherlands, exclusively manufactures extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment—essential for ultra-fine semiconductor processing—and supplies it to major companies worldwide, including Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and TSMC. The newly completed ASML Hwaseong Campus serves as the company’s key hub in Asia, integrating a remanufacturing center for advanced equipment components such as DUV and EUV lithography systems, along with a training center for advanced technology transfer. The campus is expected to enhance supply chain stability in Korea’s semiconductor industry and advance technology localization. Furthermore, ASML plans to use the campus to strengthen technical cooperation and knowledge exchange with Korean semiconductor firms such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, while building an ecosystem linking Korea’s materials, parts, and equipment companies—thereby advancing a mutually beneficial cooperation model with Korea’s semiconductor industry. In his congratulatory remarks, Director General Kang emphasized that “foreign investment is a key driver of Korea’s economic innovation and growth.” He added, “The government will continue to foster a favorable investment environment for global companies by expanding cash grants, enhancing location and tax incentives, and improving regulations.” He further noted, “Close cooperation among local governments, the central government, and partner countries is crucial for the advancement of Korea’s semiconductor industry. Today’s opening ceremony is an excellent example of such collaboration.” He concluded, “I hope that cooperation and investment in the semiconductor industry between Korea and the Netherlands will continue to deepen in the future.” date2025-11-13