South Korean Government to Designate 10 Cities as Startup Hubs by 2027

The ministry stated that the designations aim to address the concentration of startup infrastructure in Seoul and support population retention in other regions through job creation.

This year, four cities housing major science institutes—Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Ulsan—will be designated as startup hubs. Six additional cities outside the greater Seoul area will be named in 2027, selected based on their potential for startup development.

South Korea ranks 20th worldwide in startup ecosystem competitiveness, with significant R&D investment and patent activity, the ministry reported, citing data from StartupBlink. The country has three cities in the top 500 global startup cities, compared to 137 in the United States, 34 in Britain, 27 in Germany, 26 in China, and six in Japan.

The government aims to have five cities in the top 100 global startup list by 2030.

The initiative will position these cities as education hubs for entrepreneurs and develop specialized industries, such as robotics in Daegu, artificial intelligence and smart energy in Gwangju, and future mobility in Ulsan. A support package will include R&D funding, investment assistance, networking opportunities, and regulatory streamlining.

The ministry also plans to assist rural regions in developing businesses based on local culture and tourism resources, and provide bidding advantages to non-Seoul metropolitan area companies in public procurement projects. A government meeting on startup ecosystem strategies occurred on January 30, 2026, at the presidential complex in Seoul, according to a file photo.