FSC chief pledges 164 trillion won in regional policy financing by 2028

Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eok-won said Thursday that annual policy financing flowing to regional areas will reach 164 trillion won (approximately $108 billion) by 2028, as the Export-Import Bank of Korea and Korea Trade Insurance Corp. join four existing institutions in the government's regional policy finance expansion target program.

Lee made the announcement at the inaugural "Policy Finance Together" event in Daejeon, co-hosted with six policy finance institutions — Korea Development Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, Export-Import Bank of Korea, Korea Trade Insurance Corp. and Korea Technology Finance Corp. The 164 trillion won target represents a 34 trillion won increase from this year's 130 trillion won goal. In October last year, four institutions had announced a plan to supply 121 trillion won to regional areas.

"The Chungcheong region is a core growth engine of South Korea, concentrating the country's science and technology and research and development capabilities," Lee said, adding that the government would work to embed preferential regional financing into both public policy and private financial practice.

He said balanced national development was "a generational mission that must be accomplished for the Korean economy to take a new leap forward," and pledged that the government and the six institutions would mobilize all available resources to ensure regional businesses can access financing at lower interest rates and higher credit limits.

The "Policy Finance Together" platform is a field-oriented policy finance collaboration initiative designed to bring policy finance institutions directly to regional industrial sites, where they can communicate with businesses and connect companies with tailored financing support.

The initiative is part of a cooperative framework the six institutions established in March to expand productive financing. It aims to help businesses understand the full range of available policy finance options and apply for support from a single point of contact.

The roundtable brought together the FSC, the six policy finance institutions, regional chambers of commerce, and more than 70 companies from the Daejeon and Chungcheong region. Participants shared the government's regional finance policy agenda, discussed tailored policy financing support measures, and exchanged views on challenges facing local businesses and proposals for revitalizing regional finance.

Each policy finance institution presented its regional business support programs, and dedicated consultation spaces were set up for one-on-one financial counseling tailored to individual companies. The six institutions said they plan to hold further "Together" events in major cities across different regions to expand direct engagement with local businesses.

Lee also visited KAIST's Microrobot Research club, a robotics student group at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, where he discussed trends in robotics — including physical AI — and ways to channel financial support toward advanced technology development.

"The most important factor determining national competitiveness is talented people like you who develop and advance technology," Lee told the students. "Your passion and drive will lead to a new leap forward for the robotics industry."