150 Trillion Won National Growth Fund Launched: "Mobilizing All National Capabilities"

Launch Ceremony and Strategic Committee Advisory Meeting Held

The National Growth Fund, which will invest 150 trillion won over five years in advanced strategic industries and related sectors, has been launched. The first meeting of the Strategic Committee, which will provide guidance on fund management and industrial support strategies, was held with the participation of Hyunju Park, Chairman of Mirae Asset Group, and Jungjin Seo, Chairman of Celltrion, among others. Eokwon Lee, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry, finance, and government, and stressed the need to deliver tangible results.

On the afternoon of December 11, 2025, the Financial Services Commission held the "National Growth Fund Launch Ceremony and the First Strategic Committee Meeting" at the headquarters of Korea Development Bank in Yeouido, Seoul. The National Growth Fund is a comprehensive financial support program for advanced strategic industries, with the main goal of providing 150 trillion won over five years. At the event, Chairman Lee outlined the fund's decision-making structure and operational plans.

On the afternoon of the 11th, at the Korea Development Bank headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, participants including Eokwon Lee, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission (8th from the left), Hyunju Park, Chairman of Mirae Asset Group (9th), and Jungjin Seo, Chairman of Celltrion (10th), are taking a commemorative photo at the launch ceremony of the National Growth Fund. Financial Services Commission

Joint Public-Private Two-Stage Review Process for Advanced Industry Investment

The investment review and fund management of the National Growth Fund are divided into two stages. The Investment Review Committee conducts the first stage of practical review for each individual project. Reviews are carried out by subcommittees organized by industry sector, with participation from private financial institutions, industry experts, and Korea Development Bank employees. Korea Development Bank, financial holding companies, securities firms, and insurance companies will form a tentative "National Growth Fund Alliance" to identify projects and support collaboration between the fund and the financial sector.

Next, the second-stage Fund Management Review Committee is responsible for the final decision-making regarding the use of the Advanced Strategic Industry Fund in individual investment cases. The Advanced Strategic Industry Fund is a government-guaranteed bond-based fund established to provide efficient financial support to advanced strategic industries.

The Strategic Committee, which supports and advises both meetings, is a joint advisory body comprising industry, finance, and government representatives. While it does not make investment decisions for individual cases, it provides advice on fund management strategies and resource allocation. The committee is co-chaired by Eokwon Lee, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, Jungjin Seo, Chairman of Celltrion, and Hyunju Park, Chairman of Mirae Asset Group. It also includes two representatives for regional and youth interests, five vice ministers from relevant ministries, and ten members from the financial and industrial sectors. In addition, the Korea Development Bank has established a National Growth Fund Secretariat, staffed by private sector experts, to support decision-making operations, and the government plans to set up a National Growth Fund Task Force, a joint inter-ministerial organization. More than ten professional staff members from financial holding companies will be seconded to the secretariat.

Support from Direct and Indirect Investment to Infrastructure and Ultra-Low-Interest Loans

The National Growth Fund will support advanced strategic industries and their ecosystems, including related venture companies and scaling-up efforts. It will support not only companies directly engaged in advanced industries but also a wide range of small and technology-driven enterprises through equity investment funds. In particular, the fund will use ultra-long-term technology investment funds to provide long-term patient capital-investments of over ten years-to promising companies, and will also utilize direct equity investment methods.

The 150 trillion won will consist of 75 trillion won in government-guaranteed bonds and 75 trillion won in private capital, with plans to allocate more than 40% of the funds to regional areas. The support methods are: ▲Direct investment (15 trillion won) ▲Indirect investment (35 trillion won) ▲Infrastructure investment and financing (50 trillion won) ▲Ultra-low-interest loans (50 trillion won). Direct investment involves direct participation in capital rounds for small and medium-sized enterprises that have difficulty issuing corporate bonds or obtaining low-interest loans, or in capital increases for special purpose companies (SPCs) for large-scale plant expansions. Indirect investment involves the creation of large-scale funds through the advanced fund and private capital for equity investments. Infrastructure investment and financing will support projects such as power grids, power generation, and water supply facilities. Ultra-low-interest loans will provide funding for large-scale facility investments and research and development (R&D) at low interest rates of 2-3%, similar to government bond yields.

Eokwon Lee, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, stated, "At a time when the world is engaged in an all-out industrial and technological supremacy war for survival, we must mobilize all national capabilities. When industry and finance converge, the National Growth Fund can become a powerful engine that supplies resources in the most effective way at the moment when innovative companies need them most."

Jungjin Seo, Co-Chairman of the National Growth Fund Strategic Committee, said, "The National Growth Fund is not only about accelerating growth, but also about transforming the very structure of growth as a national project. By serving as a channel to connect the private sector's accumulated experience, data, and global networks to national strategy, we will strive to strengthen the competitiveness of the entire industrial ecosystem-including small, medium, and upstream and downstream companies-while also fostering regional economic growth and job creation."

Hyunju Park, Co-Chairman of the National Growth Fund Strategic Committee, pledged, "The 150 trillion won National Growth Fund will be the cornerstone of corporate growth and a catalyst for entrepreneurship in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, semiconductors, biotechnology, and infrastructure. I will spare no effort in providing advice to build a competitive system based on integrity and transparency, so that the fund can develop into a sustainable and even larger fund in the future."