South Korea to invest $400M into startups making wearables, drones, and self-driving cars
Under the helm of President Park Geun-hye, the South Korean government has been heavily involved in the local startup scene, and committed KRW 2.17 trillion (US$1.97 billion) last year and KRW 2.25 trillion (US$2.04 billion) in 2013 to startups in their infancy. Today, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that another US$400 million will be invested into developing “new and indigenous products and technologies that will help boost the country’s economy and exports,” Yonhap News Agency reports.
朴槿恵大統領政権下において、韓国政府は国内のスタートアップシーンに深く関わってきており、昨年は2兆1700億ウォン（19億7000万米ドル）、2013年には2兆2500億ウォンを初期段階のスタートアップに投じた。韓国産業通商資源部が「国家経済および輸出の促進に寄与しうる新規特産品や技術」の開発に対し、4億米ドルの追加投資を行うと発表したことをYonhap News Agency（聯合ニュース）が報じた。
朴槿恵大統領指揮の下、韓国政府は地方スタートアップ領域に大きく関与しており、未成熟なスタートアップに、昨年に2兆1,700億ウォン（19億7,000万米ドル）、2013年には2兆2,500億ウォン（20億4,000万米ドル）の支援を行った。現在、韓国の産業通商資源部はさらに4億米ドルを、"国の経済と貿易の促進を手助けする新しくて国産の製品とテクノロジー"の開発に投資つもりである、とYonhap News Agencyが報道した。
Of that sum, KRW 194 billion (US$176 million) is set aside for 13 new industrial growth engines, such as smart wearable devices, self-driving vehicles, and drones.
The chief objective of this is to diversify the country’s outbound shipments, which – despite reaching a new annual high last year – is dominated by five key industries, including semiconductors and petroleum.
2014 saw a growing number of South Korean startups achieving a measure of success, whether it be going public or receiving big investments. It also saw Daum Kakao, the parent company of the popular KakaoTalk app, looking to hedge its bets with an investment firm that has US$90 million in the bank. The upward trend seems likely to continue into the new year, with the government also setting aside a US$181 million budget for early-stage startups in general.
