The government said it aims to achieve $740 billion in exports this year and will provide 187 trillion won in trade finance to small and midsize corporations by 2030. It also decided to inject 127 trillion won in trade finance into strategic industries such as defense, nuclear power, and plants, as well as the artificial intelligence (AI) and energy sectors.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources on the 25th, chaired by Minister Kim Jung-kwan, held the first public-private joint export expansion meeting and announced the 2026 pan-government export expansion plan and the trade finance innovation plan. The idea is to broaden the export base and lay the groundwork to leap into the top five exporting nations amid rising global uncertainty, including U.S. trade pressure.
The government will supply a record-high 275 trillion won in trade insurance this year to support export corporations facing funding difficulties. In particular, it will inject 187 trillion won in customized trade finance by growth stage into small and midsize corporations by 2030. For beginner exporters (exports of $10 million or less), premiums will be discounted by up to 30%, and the special guarantees for export corporations experiencing temporary management difficulties will be expanded from 214.3 billion won last year to 300 billion won this year.
Win-win trade finance, based on grants from large corporations and banks, will expand from its existing focus on autos, steel, and shipbuilding to semiconductors, bio, and consumer goods. The Korea Trade Insurance Corporation and Hana Bank decided to provide 5 trillion won in preferential financing to small and midsize export corporations. The insurance limit for the five-pole, three-special growth engine industry group will be doubled, and collaborative financing to support regional export corporations will also be strengthened.
Financial support for strategic and advanced industries was also made more concrete. For high-risk defense projects, the government will provide pre-financing at the ordering stage to boost order-winning competitiveness. In the nuclear power sector, the limit-setting process will be skipped for small contracts of $2 million or less for small partner firms, first-time export corporations will receive a 1.5 times higher limit, and a 20% premium discount will also apply.
Support for the AI sector will also be strengthened. Starting in the second quarter of next year, the scope of import insurance will be expanded to include AI core equipment such as graphics processing units (GPUs). For small corporations exporting AI equipment, the credit guarantee limit will be preferentially raised by 1.5 times, premiums will be discounted by up to 20%, and the coverage ratio will be applied up to 100%. For research and development (R&D) innovative corporations such as startups, beginning in the third quarter of next year, the guarantee ratio will be raised to 100% to ease funding burdens for technology-based export corporations.
For the bio sector, a 1 trillion won K-bio and vaccine fund will be created by 2027 to support global clinical trials and drug development.