ICT Penetration Rate at the Highest Level within the OECD
Fixed broadband penetration rate at the highest level within the OECD, with 47.3 subscriptions per 100 people (as of 2025 / OECD)
Fiber optic share is around 90%, ranking high in the OECD (Iceland 91%, Spain 88%, Lithuania 80%) (as of 2025 / OECD)
Achieving convenience and transparency by implementing the world’s best e-government
No. 1 in the e-government development index and online services by UN E-Government Survey 2024
66.3% of Public Procurement Service's IT Projects Based on Standard Framework (2024)
Convenient and affordable public infrastructure: Transportation, Telecommunication, Electricity, and Water
Leading Global Brands
11th in the Global Cities Index (GCI) and 5th in the Global Cities Outlook (GCO) among 156 cities (as of 2024 / Kearney)
11 companies headquartered in Seoul among the Fortune 500 global companies (as of 2024)
“Global Test Bed, Korea”
Korea has established itself as an important testbed for global companies as its population
across all generations comprises robust consumer groups that are sensitive to anything new and
fast as well as global trends.
Expansion of AI-centered 'Testbed Seoul Demonstration' and full-scale linking of overseas market access (as of 2025)
Seoul, Investing in the Future
Providing strategic support by creating clusters of Seoul’s core industries
R&D (bio/medical/pharmaceutical), Information and Communications (IT/ICT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Services (media/digital content)
Among Korea’s 32 unicorn companies, 27 of them are located in Seoul.
Seoul ranked No.8 in global startup ecosystem according to Startup Genome released in 2025.
Seoul ranked 1st globally in knowledge accumulation and 5th globally (1st in Asia) in funding in the startup ecosystem (as of 2025 / Startup Genome report)
Support for Technology R&D and IPR
Invested $647 million (approximately KRW 906 billion) in R&D programs over 19 years since 2005, supporting 4,018 research and technology development projects
Providing consulting for the protection and registration of intellectual property for 4,000
SMEs annually
Aiming to enter the global top 5 startup cities and foster 50 unicorn companies by 2030
