Chairperson Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission (FSC) on the 12th visited the Chungcheong region in person to spread the Public Growth Fund nationwide and emphasized that finance will be a reliable partner for regional industries. The two-day, one-night itinerary followed visits on the 11th to Gwangju and South Jeolla (Kia, POSCO FUTURE M) and continued in Chungcheong that day. Through this, the FSC plans to enhance the regional connectivity and effectiveness of the Public Growth Fund (a total of 150 trillion won) and accelerate the creation of an advanced strategic industry ecosystem.
At the bio corporations roundtable held in the morning at the Osong Bio Science Complex in Cheongju, executives from five companies, including Daewoong Pharmaceutical, HK inno.N, and INIST ST, attended. At the regional roundtable held in the afternoon at Mona Valley in Asan, about 150 people gathered, including the South Chungcheong vice governor for political affairs, the heads of policy finance institutions (Korea Development Bank (KDB), Industrial Bank of Korea, and Korea Credit Guarantee Fund), strategic committee members of the Public Growth Fund (including Korea Investment & Securities Co. CEO Kim Seong-hwa), and representatives from more than 60 regional corporations.
Chairperson Lee said, "Chungcheong is a hub for bio, semiconductors, and research and development, and the Public Growth Fund will make this region a core stage for advanced strategic industries." South Chungcheong responded proactively by presenting concrete business plans such as battery production facilities and heterogeneous integration packaging for semiconductors.
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) also announced the "Next Hub in Chungcheong" project. It is the Chungcheong version of Seoul Front1 (the world's largest startup incubator), where policy finance such as the Korea Development Bank (KDB), Industrial Bank of Korea, and Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, along with VCs and PEs, will be housed to provide one-stop support for funding, space, networking, and overseas expansion. Design will begin this year, with construction to start in 2027 and completion targeted for 2029.
Lastly, the delegation visited HANA Micron's Asan plant and held a semiconductor roundtable. Five companies, including SFA Engineering Corporation, NEPES, SIMMTECH, and YC, attended and raised concerns about geopolitical risks and funding difficulties amid a surge in demand for AI and data centers.
Chairperson Lee said, "Semiconductors are a backbone industry of the national economy," and pledged to concentrate 30 trillion won in the semiconductor sector from the Public Growth Fund. Lee added, "Policy finance such as loans and guarantees will comprehensively support the entire ecosystem."
Chairperson Lee said, "The Public Growth Fund is finance that works in the field, not a policy on a desk," adding, "We will ensure that Chungcheong's challenge leads to achievements in Korea's advanced industries." The Financial Services Commission (FSC) is preparing follow-up regional roundtables in Busan and Daegu and plans to institutionalize the formal participation of local governments in the quarterly policy finance council to build a region-centered innovative finance network.