Will 'Ansan Science Valley' Be Designated as Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone?…Gyeonggi Province to Apply on the 14th

Gyeonggi Province submitted an application to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 14th to designate the 'Ansan ASV (Ansan Science Valley) District' as a Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 15th that it plans to invest a total of 410.5 billion KRW from 2025 to 2032 to develop the Ansan ASV District (1.66㎢) in Sadong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan City, into a global research and development (R&D) hub for advanced robotics and manufacturing industries, and has submitted an application for designation as a Free Economic Zone to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The application includes plans for fostering core strategic industries such as advanced robotics and manufacturing, as well as the locational advantages as a Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone, land use plans, domestic and international investment attraction strategies, financing methods, and economic impact analyses.

In particular, the promotion strategies for fostering advanced robotics and manufacturing industries include ▲creating a global industry-academia-research innovation ecosystem centered on key universities ▲establishing a global R&D platform ▲consolidation and advancement of advanced robotics ▲digital innovation transformation of the Banwol-Sihwa National Industrial Complex ▲and building a livable global future city.

Earlier, since May 2023, Gyeonggi Province held 26 working-level meetings involving the Korea Industrial Research Institute, Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Authority, Goyang City, and Ansan City to discuss the necessity of additional designation of the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone and the selection process of core strategic industries. Subsequently, reflecting expert opinions, an optimal development plan was prepared.

Comprehensive Plan Map of Ansan ASV District. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

The main projects include Hanyang University ERICA Campus training specialized personnel and conducting research in the field of intelligent robotics; the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology developing and demonstrating standard process models for manufacturing robots; and the Korea Testing Laboratory and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute handling collaborative robot testing, certification, and technical support.

Gyeonggi Province expects that if the Ansan ASV District is designated as a Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone, it will generate a production inducement effect of 2.2 trillion KRW and create employment for approximately 12,000 people due to various investment expenditures.

Gyeonggi Province plans to work closely with Ansan City in the second half of this year to ensure that Ansan ASV is designated as a Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone, providing administrative support efforts such as jointly responding to disaster impact assessments by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Choi Won-yong, head of the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Authority, said, "Compared to the total area of 271㎢ of all free economic zones nationwide, the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone is only 5.24㎢, which is minimal. Additional designation is essential to secure new growth engines befitting Gyeonggi Province’s status and to attract global companies in advanced industries facing locational difficulties due to regulations in the metropolitan area. We will do our best to ensure that the Ansan ASV District is additionally designated as a Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province excluded Goyang City from this application for additional designation of the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone because, as of last November, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy requested supplements to the ‘Goyang JDS District Development Plan’ and prior consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs had not been completed. Gyeonggi Province plans to closely cooperate with Goyang City to supplement the development plan and apply for additional designation of the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone thereafter.