Korea draws record $2 bil. foreign investment pledges in AI, semiconductors

Seven global companies pledged a record $2 billion in investments in Korea at the Invest Korea Summit 2026, which opened in Seoul on Wednesday. The projects cover semiconductors, advanced materials, AI data centers and renewable energy, with about 97 percent of the pledged funds earmarked for regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area. KOTRA said the commitments were the largest in the summit’s 22-year history. The three-day event brought together 267 foreign investors and companies and around 2,000 business officials.

France’s Air Liquide will invest in facilities producing specialty gases used in semiconductor manufacturing.

Amkor Technology plans to expand its advanced packaging plant in Gwangju, while Germany’s Henkel will establish a research and development center for advanced packaging materials used in high-bandwidth memory chips.

Japan’s Tokyo Electron will build a semiconductor equipment and materials manufacturing facility, and U.K.-based Nscale plans an AI data center.

Singapore’s Gurin Energy and Norway’s Deep Wind Offshore are among the companies planning renewable energy generation projects.

A record 11 local governments participated in an investment promotion forum to present regional growth strategies, projects and incentives.

Published Nov 4, 2026 4:49 pm KST

Updated Nov 4, 2026 5:35 pm KST

Trade Minister Park Jung-sung speaks during Invest Korea Summit 2026, co-hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of KOTRA

Korea secured a record $2 billion in foreign investment pledges from seven global companies, primarily in semiconductors, advanced materials and energy industry, as the government seeks to position the country as a key investment destination amid growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said the pledges were announced at its annual Invest Korea Summit 2026, a three-day investment promotion event jointly hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, which opened in Seoul on Wednesday.

The event brought together 267 foreign investors and companies, along with around 2,000 business officials globally.

The investment commitments mark the largest amount ever secured at the annual summit in its 22-year history, with about 97 percent of the pledged funds earmarked for regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area.

"The record-high investment pledges demonstrate global companies' confidence in the Korean economy," KOTRA President and CEO Kang Kyung-sung said.

"Korea, with its solid manufacturing base, abundant industrial data, and transparent and predictable investment environment, is an attractive investment destination for the AI transformation of manufacturing. We will expand our economic territory by connecting foreign investment with industrial and regional growth and expanding global cooperation.”

The projects span the broader semiconductor and AI infrastructure ecosystem, from chip manufacturing and advanced packaging to data centers and power generation.

Among the major investors, France's leading gas supplier Air Liquide will invest in facilities to produce specialty gases used in semiconductor manufacturing, while U.S.-based Amkor Technology, the world's second-largest semiconductor assembly and testing company, plans to expand its advanced packaging plant in Gwangju.

Germany's Henkel will establish a research and development center for advanced packaging materials used in high-bandwidth memory chips, strengthening its collaboration with Korean semiconductor companies.

Other investment projects include a semiconductor equipment and materials manufacturing facility by Japan's Tokyo Electron, an AI data center by U.K.-based AI infrastructure company Nscale and renewable energy generation projects by Singapore's Gurin Energy and Norway's Deep Wind Offshore.

The summit’s main international conference brought together executives from companies including Amazon Web Services Korea, Deep Wind Offshore and Dexterity to discuss investment opportunities arising from AI adoption, data center expansion and demand for stable, clean energy.

Panelists also discussed how Korea's advanced manufacturing capabilities could complement emerging physical AI technologies, while outlining new business opportunities arising from the government-led megaprojects and potential areas for cooperation between Korean and foreign companies.

This year's summit also focused on attracting foreign investment to regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area, where many of the major projects are expected to be located.

A record 11 local governments participated in an investment promotion forum, presenting their regional growth strategies, investment projects and incentives to attract foreign companies.

在周三于首尔开幕的2026年韩国投资峰会上，七家全球企业承诺在韩国投资创纪录的20亿美元。这些项目涵盖半导体、先进材料、人工智能数据中心和可再生能源等领域，其中约97%的承诺资金将用于首尔都市圈以外的地区。韩国贸易投资振兴公社（KOTRA）表示，这是该峰会22年历史上规模最大的一次投资承诺。为期三天的峰会汇聚了267家外国投资者和企业以及约2000名商界人士。

法国液化空气集团将投资建设用于半导体制造的特种气体生产设施。

Amkor Technology计划扩建其位于光州的先进封装工厂，而德国汉高公司将建立一个研发中心，专门研究用于高带宽存储芯片的先进封装材料。

日本东京电子株式会社将建设一座半导体设备和材料制造厂，而总部位于英国的Nscale公司计划建设一座人工智能数据中心。

新加坡的 Gurin Energy 和挪威的 Deep Wind Offshore 等公司都在计划建设可再生能源发电项目。

创纪录的 11 个地方政府参加了投资促进论坛，介绍了区域增长战略、项目和激励措施。

发布于2026年11月4日下午4:49（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月4日下午5:35（韩国标准时间）

韩国贸易工业部部长朴正成周三在首尔举行的2026年韩国投资峰会上发表讲话。此次峰会由韩国贸易、工业和资源部与韩国贸易投资振兴公社（KOTRA）联合主办。图片由KOTRA提供。

韩国从七家全球公司获得了创纪录的 20 亿美元外国投资承诺，主要集中在半导体、先进材料和能源行业。韩国政府希望将该国定位为重要的投资目的地，以满足人工智能 (AI) 基础设施和先进制造业日益增长的需求。

韩国贸易投资振兴公社（KOTRA）表示，这些承诺是在其年度“2026韩国投资峰会”上宣布的。该峰会为期三天，是由韩国贸易、工业和资源部联合主办的投资促进活动，于周三在首尔开幕。

此次活动汇聚了 267 家外国投资者和公司，以及来自全球的约 2000 名商界人士。

此次投资承诺是该年度峰会22年历史上获得的最大金额，其中约97%的承诺资金将用于首尔都市区以外的地区。

韩国贸易投资振兴公社社长兼首席执行官康京成表示：“创纪录的投资承诺表明全球企业对韩国经济充满信心。”

“韩国拥有雄厚的制造业基础、丰富的产业数据以及透明可预测的投资环境，是制造业人工智能转型极具吸引力的投资目的地。我们将通过将外商投资与产业和区域增长相结合，并扩大全球合作，来拓展我们的经济版图。”

这些项目涵盖了更广泛的半导体和人工智能基础设施生态系统，从芯片制造和先进封装到数据中心和发电。

在主要投资者中，法国领先的气体供应商液化空气集团将投资建设生产半导体制造用特种气体的设施，而总部位于美国的全球第二大半导体组装和测试公司安靠科技计划扩建其位于光州的先进封装工厂。

德国汉高公司将建立一个用于高带宽存储芯片的先进封装材料的研发中心，以加强与韩国半导体公司的合作。

其他投资项目包括日本东京电子的半导体设备和材料制造厂、英国人工智能基础设施公司 Nscale 的人工智能数据中心，以及新加坡 Gurin Energy 和挪威 Deep Wind Offshore 的可再生能源发电项目。

峰会的主要国际会议汇聚了包括亚马逊网络服务韩国公司、深风海上公司和Dexterity公司在内的多家公司的管理人员，共同探讨人工智能应用、数据中心扩张以及对稳定、清洁能源的需求所带来的投资机会。

与会专家还讨论了韩国先进的制造能力如何与新兴的物理人工智能技术相辅相成，同时概述了政府主导的大型项目带来的新商机以及韩国企业与外国企业之间潜在的合作领域。

今年的峰会还重点关注如何吸引外国投资到首尔都市区以外的地区，预计许多重大项目都将落户这些地区。

创纪录的 11 个地方政府参加了投资促进论坛，介绍了各自的区域增长战略、投资项目和吸引外国公司的激励措施。