Incheon free economic zone authority wins top rating for 8th consecutive year

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority has received the top S rating in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 2025 free economic zone performance review.

The authority is the only one among the country's nine free economic zones to have achieved the highest rating for eight consecutive years.

The authority attracted $790 million in foreign direct investment last year, reaching 138.2 percent of its target.

It secured 15 major domestic and foreign companies — including Samsung Biologics, Lotte Biologics and Sartorius Korea — earning recognition for its investment competitiveness in core strategic industries.

The authority also established the IFEZ Vision and Strategy 2040 framework, laying out a future development plan aligned with national policy. Additional gains were recorded in urban infrastructure and residential conditions, including the opening of the Cheongna Sky Bridge connecting Yeongjong and Cheongna, the normalization of Midan City development, and efforts to attract international schools.

The authority's work to lay a foundation for the culture and content industry through a K-con land project also drew high marks from evaluators.

Yun Baek-jin, acting head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, said the eighth consecutive S rating was "the result of consistently pursuing investment attraction, urban innovation and future strategy," adding that the authority would "continue to expand advanced industries and cutting-edge infrastructure to emerge as a global business innovation hub."