S.Korea venture investments concentrate in the Seoul metropolitan area

SEOUL, South Korea — The concentration of venture companies in the Seoul metropolitan area has increased between 2011 and 2025, according to data from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The Seoul metropolitan area recorded 24,760 venture companies in 2025, representing a 9,924-company increase from 14,836 in 2011.

Non-metropolitan areas registered 13,116 venture companies in 2025, an increase of 1,804 from 11,312 in 2011, according to the ministry.

The data indicated that metropolitan area venture companies increased by 66.8% over the period, while non-metropolitan venture companies increased by 15.9%.

Between 2015 and 2025, the metropolitan area recorded growth of 36.8 percent, while non-metropolitan areas decreased by 0.35 percent.

Regional distribution data for 2025 showed that Sejong had 0.6 percent of total venture companies, Jeju had 0.7 percent, Ulsan had 1.2 percent, Gwangju had 1.8 percent, South Jeolla Province had 1.8 percent, Gangwon Province had 1.8 percent, North Jeolla Province had 2.3 percent, and North Chungcheong Province had 2.5 percent.

Total venture investment volume increased from KRW 1.0506 trillion in 2010 to KRW 2.5207 trillion in the first half of 2025.

The metropolitan area's proportion of total venture investment increased from 74.3 percent in 2010 to 79.6 percent in the first half of 2025, according to ministry figures based on data from venture investment companies and associations under its jurisdiction.

Seoul accounted for 53.7 percent of venture investment in the first half of 2025, Gyeonggi Province for 23.1 percent, and Incheon for 2.8 percent. The combined metropolitan area share exceeded three-quarters of the total investment.

Infrastructure distribution data as of the end of 2024 showed 225 venture capital companies in the metropolitan area, constituting 90 percent of the national total of 249 companies.

The metropolitan area contained 44 of the 49 venture investment limited liability companies operating venture investment associations, representing 90 percent of the total.

The region held 330 of 492 startup accelerators, accounting for 67 percent.

Kim Dong-a, a National Assembly lawmaker, attributed the concentration to insufficient infrastructure supporting venture ecosystems in regional areas.

Kim said that without policy measures such as tax support, regional startups would likely continue relocating to the metropolitan area, potentially widening regional economic and employment disparities.