○ Korea’s leading innovation startups, jointly selected by WEF and Gyeonggi Province, gathered at the Pangyo Global Business Center for the inaugural session of the Korea Innovators Community Summit held on November 7
○ Official launch of “Korea Frontiers” featuring 30 future unicorn companies
○ Governor Dong Yeon Kim: “We will discover innovative startups, strengthen the ecosystem, and expand communication to offer global opportunities for Korean startups to enter the world stage.”

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim, while conducting a field tour to inspect provincial affairs and listen to residents, visited Pangyo in Seongnam City for the 14th time and reaffirmed continued support to build a “startup paradise” in Korea.

Speaking at the Korea Innovators Community Summit held at the Global Biz Center in Pangyo Techno Valley 2 on November 7, Governor Kim stated, “This is the first startup program the World Economic Forum has undertaken in partnership with a single country, which makes it even more significant.”

The Korea Innovators Community Summit is a startup-focused event co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province and the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum is an international non-profit private organization through which leaders from governments, businesses, academia, and civil society convene to discuss major global economic and social issues and seek solutions. It is widely known as the organizer of the annual Davos Forum held each January in Davos, Switzerland.

In his welcoming address, Governor Kim stated, “We are launching the Korea Frontiers program together with the World Economic Forum. Beginning with this initiative, we will provide full support to cultivate the growth of unicorn companies.”

“Korea Frontiers” is Korea’s first global startup incubation program, jointly developed by the Gyeonggi Province Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

He continued, “For many years, I have envisioned transforming not only Gyeonggi Province but all of the Republic of Korea into a startup paradise,” adding, “To bring this plan to fruition, I have pursued two consistent goals: first, expanding global opportunities for startups and making bold investments; second, reforming the startup support system and ecosystem.”

Governor Kim further explained, “The goal of attracting KRW 100 trillion in investment to Gyeonggi Province was first announced about two years and eight months ago, and it was achieved ahead of schedule during my Boston visit last week. Since much of this investment is directed toward ecosystem development, it translates into more opportunities for our startups.”

Governor Kim also stated, “Through the Pangyo+20 Project, we are expanding startup spaces totaling 660,000 square meters across 20 locations in the province to build clusters. We launched the Gyeonggi Startup Council, which now has more than 520 participating companies, and last month opened the Gyeonggi Startup Bridge to support startups at every stage of growth. Just a few days ago, four startups nurtured by Gyeonggi Province received innovation awards at the world’s largest exhibition.” He emphasized, “We will continue to identify innovative startups, reinforce the ecosystem, enhance communication, and create opportunities for global expansion.”

This event served as the first official platform where Korea’s leading innovative startups, jointly selected by Gyeonggi Province and the World Economic Forum, came together with domestic unicorn companies and global venture investors to discuss cooperation. It marked a meaningful starting point for expanding Korean startups’ presence on the global stage.

Approximately 200 attendees participated, including Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum; CEOs of major domestic AI and tech companies such as Yanolja, Lunit, DeepX, and Upstage; and representatives from major investment institutions.

Notably, the event also marked the official launch of Korea Frontiers, Korea’s first global startup incubation project co-developed by the Gyeonggi Province Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the World Economic Forum (WEF), known for hosting the Davos Forum.

The 30 startups selected for the first cohort will participate in the WEF Innovators Community for two years, gaining opportunities for global networking and market entry. Over 80% of the selected companies have secured cumulative investments exceeding KRW 5 billion, with 15 of them having attracted more than KRW 10 billion.

Following this summit, the province plans to strengthen cooperation with more than 20 global centers of the World Economic Forum and continue supporting the overseas expansion of domestic innovative companies, centered on the Korea Frontiers program.

Governor Kim attended the Davos Forum in January last year and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the World Economic Forum to establish a Fourth Industrial Revolution Center in Gyeonggi Province. Earlier this year, the province established Korea’s first Fourth Industrial Revolution Center in Pangyo, which plays a key role in discovering leading domestic startups, forming a community, and providing collaboration opportunities with global startups.