GWANGYANG — The Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone Authority promoted the region's investment conditions and growth potential to domestic and foreign investors, pitching it as a business-friendly location.
The authority said on the 3rd that it took part in "K-FEZ Day 2026" at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul the previous day, where it promoted the Gwangyang Bay area's investment environment to companies and related organizations from Korea and abroad.
K-FEZ Day is a flagship investment promotion event organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA's Invest Korea to highlight the appeal of the country's free economic zones. About 300 people attended, including officials from the ministry and Invest Korea, the heads of the free economic zone authorities for Gwangyang Bay, North Chungcheong, South Jeolla, Gwangju and Ulsan, foreign diplomats based in Seoul, chambers of commerce, foreign media, foreign-invested companies and financial industry representatives.
The event focused on the investment appeal of South Korea's free economic zones, the country's competitiveness as an advanced industry hub in the Asia-Pacific region, and the strategic value of the zones amid shifts in the global manufacturing paradigm.
At the venue, the Gwangyang authority briefed global investors and officials from related organizations on changes in the region's industrial structure, its logistics infrastructure and its investment incentives.
Built on steel and petrochemicals, the Gwangyang Bay area is expanding into advanced sectors such as secondary battery materials, energy, defense, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The authority stressed that its logistics infrastructure centered on Gwangyang Port, along with a deep industrial base, makes the region an ideal site for advanced manufacturing and global supply chain investment.
"As the global industrial environment changes rapidly, investment hubs with stable supply chains and industrial ecosystems are becoming more important in future industries such as advanced manufacturing, AI and secondary batteries," said Koo Choong-gon, commissioner of the Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone Authority. "Building on this K-FEZ Day, we will do our best to turn it into actual investment."
The authority attracted 4.9 trillion won ($3.4 billion) in investment last year, the largest amount since its establishment. That is more than double the annual average of 1.8 trillion won over the past three years. The 739 companies operating in the Gwangyang Bay area posted combined revenue of 18.99 trillion won in 2024.
