Mayor Yoon Byungtae Leads Naju... Capital Region Investment Attraction Roadshow Secures 144.3 Billion Won

Introducing New Energy Industries such as Artificial Sun
Presenting the Vision of a "Global Energy Capital"

Naju City held the '2026 Metropolitan Area Investment Promotion Roadshow' at COEX in Seoul. Provided by Naju City.

Naju-si in South Jeolla Province has accelerated its push to become a global energy capital by securing energy industry investment agreements worth 144.3 billion won through its Capital Region Investment Attraction Roadshow.

Naju-si announced that on February 4, it hosted the "2026 Capital Region Investment Attraction Roadshow" at COEX in Seoul and achieved large-scale investment attraction results focused on new energy industries.

This roadshow has been held in the capital region since 2023 in conjunction with "Korea Smart Grid Expo," the country's largest power and energy exhibition, and marks its fourth year in 2026.

Each year, the city has focused on presenting the competitiveness and mid- to long-term vision of its energy industry to energy companies and investment institutions in the capital region.

At this event, Naju-si signed an investment agreement worth 140 billion won with Intops Co., Ltd. (a consortium with Energy Infra Asset Management Co., Ltd.) for a battery energy storage system (BESS) power generation project. In addition, it entered into corporate investment agreements totaling 4.3 billion won with three companies - Fordream Co., Ltd., Genersolar Co., Ltd., and Esystem Co., Ltd. - and agreed to promote plant construction and job creation.

Through his presentation, Naju Vice Mayor Kang Sanggu explained the status of efforts to attract an artificial sun (nuclear fusion) research facility and Naju-si's strategy to lead the era of distributed energy.

Vice Mayor Kang also drew interest from business leaders by presenting the current status of industrial infrastructure, including the national energy industrial complex and the Noan general industrial complex, both of which are about to begin lot sales, along with the second-phase vision for the energy capital.

In the middle of the event, Naju Mayor Yoon Byungtae, Korea Smart Grid Association Chairman Koo Jakyun, Korea Electric Power Corporation Vice President Jung Chigyo, KEPCO KDN President Park Sanghyung, Korea Power Exchange Acting Chairman and CEO Kim Honggeun, and Korea Institute of Fusion Energy President Oh Youngkuk took to the stage to perform a ceremony embodying the vision for the leap of "Naju, Global Energy Capital."

In the afternoon, Naju-si and Korea Electric Power Corporation jointly presented the investment environment of the Energy Valley and held a "Corporate Investment Attraction Demo Day (IR pitching)" to facilitate practical investment linkages between energy companies and investment firms.

Nine promising companies based in Naju Energy Valley, including Rex Innovation Co., Ltd., TLC Co., Ltd., Metapower Co., Ltd., Metapas Co., Ltd., Solar Dream Co., Ltd., Esystem Co., Ltd., U Energy Co., Ltd., AK Power Co., Ltd., and Fordream Co., Ltd., took part in the demo day to showcase their technological capabilities and business potential.

The event runs through February 6 and features special lectures by experts in the energy field, talks by distinguished speakers, and university promotion programs.

In particular, on February 5, there will be a presentation on successful overseas expansion cases by Lee Haengwoo, CEO of BK Energy Co., Ltd.; a special lecture on intellectual property rights in the energy industry by patent attorney Joo Daewon, CEO of Secheong Patent & Law Firm; and a lecture on historical humanities by broadcaster Sun Kim. On February 6, Moon Seungil, Head of Research at Korea Institute of Energy Technology, will deliver a special lecture titled "The Opening of the Distributed Energy Era and the Role of Naju as an Energy Capital."

Throughout the event, Naju-si is operating the "Naju Energy Valley Promotion Hall" in Hall A at COEX, where team leader-level staff are stationed to provide investment consultations and advisory services. Nine Energy Valley companies are also participating to meet with investors and buyers.

An official from Naju-si said, "We are developing a national energy industrial complex with an area of 380,000 pyeong and the Noan general industrial complex with an area of 360,000 pyeong, and we plan to foster them as specialized clusters for materials, parts, and equipment in new energy industries and as bases for supplying advanced equipment," adding, "We are also pursuing a 1.2 trillion won artificial sun research facility, with construction targeted to begin in 2028."

The official continued, "We will grow into a global energy city that encompasses direct current industries, AI-based digital power grids, next-generation semiconductors, and fusion energy, and will firmly support the success of companies that invest in Naju."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.