The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said it will hold the "2026 regulatory free zone innovation week" for two days from the 31st to Sept. 1 at Osco in Cheongju.
The event was prepared to explore the future of new industries through regulatory innovation, share the achievements and growth strategies of regulatory free zones, and strengthen interregional cooperation networks. This year, it focuses not only on policy sharing and spreading outcomes but also on linking investment attraction and resolving corporate difficulties to support the commercialization and growth of corporations in the zones.
A regulatory free zone is a system that grants regulatory exemptions for a set period to new technology and new industry operators within the zone after applications by local governments and consultations with the ministries in charge of the regulations. Once safety and other factors are verified through demonstrations, it serves as a Korea-style regulatory sandbox by reasonably overhauling related regulations.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) has designated a total of 57 regulatory free zones since the system was introduced in 2019, and achieved results by revising 63 out of 77 statutes for which regulatory maintenance was requested after demonstrations were completed.
This year, a new "metropolitan linkage regulatory free zone" was also introduced to go beyond the limits of the existing individual region-centered approach, enabling two or more local governments to jointly demonstrate packages of regulations linked to industrial supply chains. Two zones are awaiting designation: the "smart agriculture zone," with South Jeolla–Gwangju, North Jeolla and South Chungcheong participating, and the "new marine leisure zone," with North Gyeongsang and Busan cooperating.
On the first day, the 31st, it will be operated as the "policy and outcomes sharing day." Starting with a special lecture by brain scientist Jang Dong-seon on changes and business opportunities in the age of AI and big data, awards will be given to 27 contributors who helped advance regulatory free zones and revitalize regional economies.
Next, at the policy sharing session and best-practice session, cases from zones that achieved demonstration, regulatory resolution, and commercialization outcomes will be introduced, including North Gyeongsang's next-generation battery recycling, Gangwon's Digital Healthcare, and Daegu's mobile collaborative robots.
On Sept. 1, an "investment and commercialization day" will be held, where nine corporations in bio, AI, energy, materials, parts, and equipment will present their technologies and business models to venture capital and other investors. After corporate presentations and Q&A, one-on-one meetings between investors and corporations will also be held.
At the venue, there will be a thematic hall introducing regulatory innovation achievements and the status of zone promotion, a metropolitan linkage promotion hall, a global cooperation hall, a four hubs and three zones promotion hall, and a corporations hall. Through customized consulting with accounting, legal, and design experts, support will also be provided for on-site corporate challenges, including research fund execution, regulatory response, and product design.
Mok Seung-hwan, head of the Startup and Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "Regulatory free zones are an important driving force that promotes innovative ideas and startups, contributing to regional development," adding, "We will spare no policy effort so that regulatory free zones can establish themselves as hubs leading future industries."