"I'm here today to do marketing."
This is how Kwon Dae-young, Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), opened his meeting with officials from North Gyeongsang Province and Hanwha Group at Hanwha Systems in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on January 26. His purpose was to promote investment support for defense and space industries through the National Growth Fund.
"I understand Hanwha Systems plays a major role in low-earth orbit satellites and defense," Kwon said. "We will expand support for the defense sector using the National Growth Fund."
Kwon then visited HD Hyundai Robotics in Daegu, where he met with companies involved in artificial intelligence transformation (AX) and encouraged them to apply for National Growth Fund investments.
"The robotics sector also has a solid ecosystem, which may require large-scale investment," Kwon said. "The reason we provided a 2 trillion won low-interest loan from the National Growth Fund to Samsung Electronics is because related mid-sized companies, small suppliers, and venture firms can all benefit."
His remarks suggested that if HD Hyundai Robotics leads the identification of investment projects and applies for National Growth Fund support, it could significantly help domestic AI small and venture companies.
On the same day, the FSC and Korea Development Bank held a National Growth Fund Management Committee meeting and approved a 2.5 trillion won low-interest loan for Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek Plant 5 (P5). Samsung Electronics will use this support as an opportunity to establish a 200 billion won special guarantee program with the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund.
Separately, Kwon met with local business leaders and officials in Gumi. "Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are showing competitiveness in advanced manufacturing including defense and robotics," he said. "I expect the National Growth Fund will greatly help reduce business costs and commercialize technology."
At the meeting, the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund announced a 200 billion won preferential guarantee program with iM Bank to support small and medium enterprises in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region.
Kwon continued his promotional tour in the Ulsan and South Gyeongsang regions on January 27.
"Small, mid-sized, and venture companies can fully receive National Growth Fund investments on their own," Kwon said. "I hope more people learn that we plan to allocate 40% of the National Growth Fund to regional areas."
The National Growth Fund has decided to provide ISU Specialty Chemical, which has a factory in Ulsan, with 100 billion won in low-interest loans over 10 years to support its secondary battery materials facility investment.
Earlier, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon visited companies in the Honam and Chungcheong regions on a two-day trip from January 11-12. In Gwangju on January 11, he met with senior Hyundai-Kia executives.
"Various considerations will be needed in mobility and robotics," Lee said. "If you propose specific business plans, we will actively review them."
Lee also visited POSCO Future M (secondary battery materials), Daewoong Pharmaceutical (bio), and Hana Micron (semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment), where he promised to strengthen support for R&D, facility investment, and supply chains. Park Sang-jin, Chairman of Korea Development Bank, and Jang Min-young, CEO of Industrial Bank of Korea, accompanied Lee on his visits.
First Regional Tour in 12 Years
This marks the first time in approximately 12 years that the FSC's top two officials have conducted official two-day regional tours since then-Chairman Shin Je-yoon's "technology and ordinary people field visits" in 2014. Given that the FSC oversees the financial sector, it is uncommon for its top officials to make extended regional trips, as most major domestic financial companies are headquartered in Seoul.
However, with "productive finance" emerging as a key policy agenda under the current administration, these practices are changing. Successful productive finance requires smooth communication with regional industries. As the National Growth Fund has become a core policy tool for productive finance, financial authorities increasingly need to conduct investor relations directly with companies. The government plans to inject more than 150 trillion won into advanced industries through the National Growth Fund over the next five years.
The regional tours also aim to align with the government's regional balance policy, represented by the "5 poles, 3 special zones" initiative.
"There is much criticism that Korea's finance is concentrated in Seoul," an FSC official said. "This is also why we are paying more attention to regional areas."