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Busan Metropolitan City Hosts the “2026 Leading Companies in Strategic Industries Certificate Award Ceremony,” Accelerating the Development of Future Strategic Enterprises

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has selected 90 companies as the “2026 Leading Companies in Strategic Industries,” which will drive the city’s nine strategic industries*, and will host the “2026 Leading Companies in Strategic Industries Certificate Award Ceremony” today (December 3) at 4:40 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Josun Busan in Haeundae District.

• ●Nine strategic industries: ▲Digital Technology ▲Future Mobility ▲Energy Technology ▲Convergence Components & Materials ▲Biohealth ▲Lifestyle ▲Culture & Tourism ▲Marine ▲Finance

The leading companies in strategic industries represent a group of key enterprises poised to spearhead industrial advancement in Busan, moving beyond the Seoul metropolitan area–centered industrial development framework and aligning with the city’s industrial structure and regional characteristics.

The ceremony will be attended by Mayor Park Heong-joon and more than 120 participants, including representatives of the designated leading companies.

Last year (2024), the City established the “6th Comprehensive Plan for Fostering Strategic Industries of Busan Metropolitan City (2024–2028),” presenting a mid- to long-term direction for regional industries. This year, the City has activated its strategic industry support system in earnest, based on the implementation direction set forth in the plan.

Since enacting the “Ordinance on Fostering Strategic Industries” in 1999—the first of its kind in the country—Busan Metropolitan City has strengthened policy consistency and systematic industrial development by establishing a master plan every five years.

This year’s selection of leading companies was aligned with the City’s three core strategies under the strategic industry master plan—▲fostering future new industries ▲advancing core industries ▲enhancing global infrastructure—and focused on identifying a total of 90 companies across nine strategic industries with strong competitiveness and growth potential.

The selected companies will receive “Leading Company Certification” for the next three years and benefit from preferential access to more than 20 linked support programs, including favorable loan and guarantee services, special guarantees, working capital support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and assistance for technology development and commercialization.

The City also plans to expand connections with growth ladder–type support policies—such as Hidden Champions, Global Small Giants, and World-Class companies—to provide multi-layered growth pathways that help companies evolve into global enterprises.

Building on the selection of these leading companies, Busan Metropolitan City intends to intensify its policy efforts so that upstream and downstream companies within the regional industrial ecosystem can grow together, ultimately contributing to regional economic revitalization by enhancing technological innovation capabilities, strengthening exports, and creating quality jobs.

In the first half of this year (2025), the City has already strengthened the foundation for enhancing corporate competitiveness through initiatives such as Hidden Champion development and Anchor Company support programs, which provide assistance for R&D planning, securing intellectual property rights, developing growth roadmaps, and supporting commercialization.

At the certificate award ceremony, Mayor Park will directly present certificates to the representatives of the 90 designated “2026 Leading Companies in Strategic Industries” and hold a communication session to hear firsthand opinions from the business community.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “I sincerely congratulate all companies selected as leading enterprises representing Busan. For Busan to leap forward as a future-industry-centered global hub city, the role of capable companies is more critical than ever. Busan Metropolitan City will continue to provide its fullest support to ensure the growth of these companies.”