Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources (MOTIR)
Throughout its history, the Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources (MOTIR) has taken on expanded roles and responsibilities, helping to transform South Korea into a dynamic and economic powerhouse.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) is the principal government agency responsible for the real economy. We support industrial development and expand trade and international cooperation to help Korean companies enter global markets and strengthen their competitiveness, while driving the dynamic growth of Korea’s economy.
Korea’s industries and businesses now stand amid a fundamental paradigm shift. Externally, tariff measures and the spread of protectionism have disrupted the free trade order and international rules that have long underpinned Korea’s exports. Internally, declining productivity and sluggish investment are undermining our growth potential, while the global competitiveness of core industries is weakening. At the same time, widening imbalances between regions and among companies are raising concerns about the sustainability of growth.
To turn these challenges into opportunities, it is critical to raise productivity across industries, foster new growth engines, and mitigate external uncertainties. My colleagues at MOTIR and I are committed to advancing industrial and trade policies that enable Korean industries to secure fundamental competitiveness built on outstanding technological capabilities.
First, we will drive a new leap forward for K-manufacturing focused on growth and recovery. By promoting AX (AI transformation) across sectors, such as the adoption of AI factories, we will lift the competitiveness of Korean manufacturing to the next level. We will also actively support next-generation technologies and future growth engines in high-tech industries such as semiconductors, rechargeable batteries, and biotechnology, while driving bold structural reforms in traditional flagship industries facing challenges.
In parallel, we will pursue a practical, national-interest–driven trade strategy. We will move beyond an export structure overly dependent on specific countries by steadily diversifying products and markets, and we will significantly expand enabling infrastructure, such as trade finance, marketing, and certification, to fuel exports. We will also strengthen the protection and management of national core technologies and secure a resilient trade, technology, and resource security framework through the stable supply of essential resources.
We will also work toward balanced growth based on mutual prosperity and cooperation. Through the “Five Poles and Three Special Provinces” regional strategy, we will cultivate growth engines tailored to regional strengths, investment, and job creation. We will accelerate the development of RE100 industrial complexes to achieve corporate RE100 targets, balanced regional growth, and the energy transition. In addition, we will build a solid growth ladder that supports companies in progressing from small to medium to large enterprises.
MOTIR will ensure that every policy we advance delivers tangible benefits to businesses and contributes to genuine, people-centered growth. We ask for your continued interest and support. Thank you.