Busan launches investment sales team in Seoul, signs W163b in MOUs

The "Maritime Capital Busan Sales Team," led by Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, held its inaugural ceremony and an investment promotion briefing Thursday morning at Conrad Seoul Hotel. The team is a public-private investment cooperation body formed to identify promising companies and investment projects and support them through to actual investment.

The event brought together business, finance and industry experts — including Lee Bang-su, former president of LG Energy Solution; Lee Young-seok, chairman of Korean Register; Lee Young-chang, former CEO of Shinhan Securities; Bin Dae-in, chairman of BNK Financial Group; Eom Gil-cheong, former dean of Kyonggi University's Graduate School of Service Management; and Yang Jae-saeng, chairman of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry — as well as domestic and international economic organizations including the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the Korea Development Bank's Southeast Regional Headquarters, along with other investment promotion officials.

Jeon, who serves as team leader, appointed members and convened the first Investment Attraction Strategy Meeting, where participants discussed Busan's evolving investment environment, key investment sectors, and measures to support investors and boost investment attraction. Going forward, the team plans to provide tailored outreach for individual companies and work with relevant agencies on financing, site selection and permitting to help projects under active consideration reach the investment stage.

Following the ceremony and strategy meeting, a Greater Seoul corporate investment briefing for 2026 was held at the same venue, presenting investment opportunities in maritime industries and future sectors such as AI, drawing on Busan's port and logistics infrastructure and the manufacturing base of the southeastern region. About 100 participants attended — including Hong Yong-jun, CEO of Coupang Logistics Service, and representatives from shipping-related associations — for a program that included the presentation of commendation plaques to companies that contributed to investment attraction, the signing of investment MOUs, investment sales presentations and an overview of Busan's investment support programs.

The city signed MOUs with three companies — Coupang Logistics Service, LS Power Solution and Readypost — totaling 163 billion won ($122 million) in investment commitments. The investments are expected to create 776 new jobs in total.

Commendation plaques were presented to five shipping companies — HMM, SK Shipping, H-Line Shipping, Heung-a Shipping and Panstar — in recognition of their contributions to the development of the shipping and logistics industry and to strengthening Busan's competitiveness as an investment destination. Jeon expressed gratitude to the companies for supporting the completion of "Maritime Capital Busan" through efforts including relocating their headquarters to the city and participating in Arctic route trial voyages.

Jeon pitched Busan's future as a maritime capital, highlighting new business opportunities expected to emerge as finance and advanced technology converge with shipping and logistics following the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the concentration of shipping companies in the city. Jeon also pointed to the growth potential of the shipping, shipbuilding and logistics industries as Arctic routes open up, and to the industrial transformation of ports and manufacturing through AI integration. "I will make Busan a city that is kind to businesses, and I will show through results that companies investing in Busan will grow bigger," Jeon said.