Overview
- At a Feb. 4 meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee Jae Myung urged major chaebol leaders to expand youth hiring and shift investment beyond the Seoul metropolitan area.
- Federation of Korean Industries Chair Ryu Jin said the top 10 conglomerates plan 270 trillion won (about US$186 billion) in regional investment over five years, with total corporate pledges estimated at roughly 300 trillion won including other firms.
- Companies outlined plans to hire 51,600 employees in 2026, including 12,000 new recruits at Samsung and 8,500 at SK, according to the presidential office.
- Lee committed to align diplomacy and policy with corporate needs and highlighted a blueprint to develop five megaregions and three special self-governing provinces, including proposed legislation for renewable energy industrial complexes and energy cities.
- The talks also referenced follow-up to Lee’s Jan. 5 China visit that produced 32 corporate MOUs, as well as growing trade uncertainty that includes potential U.S. tariff increases reported by Korean officials.