[FDI Platform] Seoul’s FDI Outlook and Strategic Industries

2025. 8. 10.

HYESUNG Newsletter Vol. 25-28.

Seoul’s FDI Outlook and Strategic Industries

🔍 Global FDI Trends and Seoul’s Changing Investment Landscape

In 2022, global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) declined by 12% year-on-year to USD 1.3 trillion. Key factors included the Russia–Ukraine war, global economic slowdown, and growing debt burdens. While FDI inflows to advanced economies plunged by 37%, emerging markets reached record-high levels due to favorable policy shifts and targeted incentives. Seoul experienced a sharp 40% drop in FDI inflows in 2022 to USD 10.8 billion. However, by the first half of 2023, the city began to show signs of recovery, driven by large-scale private equity inflows and increased investment in select manufacturing sectors. Notably, over 90% of Seoul’s FDI is concentrated in service industries, with strong performance in finance, insurance, fintech, and content-related sectors.

🌍 How Global Cities Attract FDI: A Comparative Perspective

Leading global cities have adopted tailored investment attraction strategies that leverage their unique industrial strengths and geographic advantages:

London & Berlin: Focus on global talent, robust regulatory frameworks, and linkage to mature markets
Hong Kong: Leverages its open trade and finance systems to connect East and West
Singapore: A financial and logistics hub optimized for capital markets and emerging digital industries
Major Chinese Cities: Promote high-tech industrial clusters through special zones and infrastructure investment
Tokyo: Offers a stable, mature market with well-developed infrastructure and institutions

Across all cities, a common theme emerges: FDI strategies are deeply integrated with national and municipal industrial policies. Investment promotion efforts increasingly emphasize R&D investment and the attraction of global innovation talent.

🏙️ Seoul’s Eight Strategic Industries

To enhance its competitiveness as a global investment destination, Seoul is actively fostering the following eight strategic industries:

AI (Artificial Intelligence): Yangjae AI cluster, government-backed research and incentives
Robotics: R&D hubs in Suseo, technology-intensive manufacturing and service convergence
Bio & Healthcare: Hongneung Bio Cluster, home to over 35% of Korea’s bio companies
Fintech & Blockchain: Clustered in Yeouido and Mapo, aligned with global financial hub initiatives
Smart Mobility: Autonomous vehicles, urban air mobility (UAM), part of Seoul’s smart city strategy
Content: Webtoons, animation, metaverse—export-driven digital content industry
Beauty & Fashion: K-beauty and fashion convergence with design and tourism
ICT: Expansion of big data, IoT, AR/VR infrastructure within smart city initiatives

Through focused development in these sectors, Seoul aims to strengthen its attractiveness to foreign investors and global startups by expanding R&D, building strategic clusters, and creating a future-ready business environment.

💡 HYESUNG FDI Platform 바로가기

At HYESUNG, we support clients with tailored market entry and investment advisory based on in-depth analysis of Seoul’s evolving industrial landscape and international best practices. We are committed to helping Seoul rise as a top-tier global destination for investment as a strategic partner of Invest Seoul.

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🔍 글로벌 FDI 흐름과 서울의 투자환경 변화

2022년 전 세계 외국인직접투자(FDI)는 전년 대비 12% 감소한 1조 3천억 달러를 기록했습니다. 이는 러시아-우크라이나 전쟁, 세계 경기 둔화, 부채 부담 증가 등 복합적인 리스크 요인에 기인합니다. 선진국으로의 FDI 유입은 37% 급감했으나, 신흥국은 우호적인 정책 변화와 맞춤형 인센티브를 통해 오히려 사상 최고 수준의 FDI를 유치했습니다. 서울은 2022년 FDI 유입액이 108억 달러로 전년 대비 40% 급감했지만, 2023년 상반기에는 대규모 사모펀드 유입과 일부 제조업 부문의 투자 증가로 회복세를 보였습니다. 특히 서울의 FDI 중 90% 이상이 서비스 산업에 집중되어 있으며, 금융, 보험, 핀테크, 콘텐츠 등 지식기반 산업에서 강세를 보이고 있습니다.