A city is not merely a space that gathers people. It is a platform where companies, technology, talent and capital connect with one another. That is why major cities around the world invest heavily in attracting investment. The moment a company decides where to place a research center, in which city to establish a corporate entity and in which market to grow, that city gains jobs and technology, tax revenue and consumption, and a base for new industries all at once.
What Seoul should be watching now is not simply the growth in investment volume. What matters more is which companies come in, which industries grow, and how long those companies stay in Seoul and invest again. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is upgrading its industrial ecosystem around future industries including artificial intelligence, robotics, bio, fintech and content. This year, in particular, it is broadening the investment base for AI and physical AI while connecting universities with companies to pursue technology commercialization and talent development at the same time. The city's strategic equity investments in future industries are another part of this trend.
The standards for attracting investment must now change as well. Where the approach once centered on introducing Seoul's strengths to foreign companies and encouraging them to invest, going forward the city must show what value Seoul can provide to a company's growth strategy. It must demonstrate whether there is good talent, whether there is urban infrastructure to test technology, whether markets and customers are easy to reach, whether companies can collaborate with research institutions and large corporations, and whether administrative and settlement support is available even after the investment is made.
Invest Seoul is also strengthening its role in connecting the entire investment attraction process in line with these changes. Rather than stopping at identifying foreign companies, it reviews the feasibility of entering Seoul and provides support that extends through investment consultations, market entry, corporate establishment and settlement. The foreign direct investment all-in-one package the foundation operates is a leading example of bundling together the support foreign companies need as they enter Seoul.
It is also worth noting that attracting investment is shifting from one field of urban policy to a core function that constitutes a city's competitiveness. Global companies do not invest by looking at a single city. They compare multiple cities, weighing headquarters strategy, the location of their Asian base, the availability of talent, regulation and costs, and access to customers and supply chains. The role required here does not end with persuading companies. It is to build objective grounds for companies to choose Seoul on that comparison table.
Another standard is the quality of investment. Rather than simply having capital come in, the city must draw companies that combine with Seoul's industrial ecosystem to create technology and jobs, collaborate with domestic companies and generate additional investment. What Seoul's investment policy aims for should be a "city where money is converted into new growth" rather than a "city where money comes in."
Seoul's investment competitiveness is not built on flashy promotional phrases alone. Only when the information and connections companies actually need to make decisions, along with the capacity to execute after entry, accumulate does it become the city's competitiveness. Attracting investment is a matter of a company and a city choosing each other's future. For Seoul to become a city chosen by global companies, it must move beyond being a city that draws capital to become a city where capital grows.
